Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/527016
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 JUNE 2015 This Week 31 The Filfla we don't know Why was Filfla the next blip on the Fragmenta radar? Was it a logical step forward, in terms of your 'CV' so far and if so, why? For 2015 and the coming years, Fragmenta has decided to work with a common theme: 'Islands'. An island is an area of land en- tirely surrounded by water. An island is any object or place lost in an extension of a uniform ele- ment. Islands tend to be isolated. Islands can be natural or artifi- cial. We could add that islands can make you dream, yearn for solitude or concentration, stimulate this "special holiday- feeling", or form an escape. The island is the elsewhere, the alternative solution. Islands can provoke Island Fever: the realization that you are stuck on whichever island you are living and not going anywhere… is- lands are real or surreal or un- real; islands are attractive and haunting; islands are projection ground, deceptive and miracu- lous; Islands are either too full or too empty; islands are won- derful. The little island of Filfla is the first in a series of "messag- es in a bottle" in order to explore possibilities of artistic islands. Given that this is a collabo- ration between Fragmenta and two other artists, what would you say was the common guid- ing force of the exhibition? It's more of a conversation, rather than a collaboration. Frag- menta wanted to do an exhibi- tion with the common theme of 'Filfla' and therefore conceived a collective exhibition and invited three artists to present works which take the little island of Filfla as their main subject mat- ter for this event. Fragmenta 'Filfla Findings' presents a series of photographs by Ritty Tacsum and a collaborative work by Ak- sel Høgenhaug and Bettina Hut- schek. Assuming the event will pri- marily be a visual exhibition, what is the Filfla narrative you want to express and tell? How does it differ from popular perceptions of Filfla we may have? Filfla is an exciting place be- cause it becomes a small uto- pian island, visible from many places on the southern coast of Malta. It is even more exciting because it is inaccessible. With the Fragmenta event we want to show works that imagine people living or having lived on this lit- tle rock. The collaborative work by Aksel Hogenhaug and Bettina Hutschek presents the remnants of the 'Tribe of the Owl Cult', or the so-called 'Neil's Tribe'. This fictitious Tribe is created through pictures, archeological artefacts and descriptions. Pre- historic T'eth, petrified fingers, various artefacts and stones give an almost complete picture of a fascinating ancient tribe which "could" have been living here. The series of images, which Ritty Tacsum has specifical- ly produced for Fragmenta's project titled 'Filfla Findings', aims at recalling, exploring and revisualising a particular place from her childhood. Għar Lapsi and Wied Iż-Żurrieq have undergone several changes throughout the years, yet the image she holds of Filfla re- mains untarnished in her mind: Filfla seen through the eyes of a five-year-old. She nostalgically admits that Filfla, its view and accompanying memories, re- main a constant in her photog- rapher's life. What do you make of the lo- cal art scene? What would you change about it? The local art scene is growing and changing notably, which is exciting to see. But there is still a lot to do and to explore, and much space left for new and more contemporary ideas. It is still too easy to feel like the big fish in the small pond. The more there will be, in everything: art- ists, spaces, failures, curators, the better the quality will be eventually. Competition is an essential factor for growth and positive challenge, and for now, there is not enough "there" to create truly challenging discus- sions. In general, we find the art scene still fairly rigid, and real dialogue – including art writ- ing and art critique – is miss- ing. Malta Contemporary Art (MCA) was fantastic and has been missed since its closure. It is a shame that it failed, but we think it had come too early for Malta... But there is hope. For exam- ple, the Valletta International Visual Arts Festival (VIVA), where Raphael Vella is doing a great job curating and or- ganising. BLITZ is also a great initiative in Valletta. They just started a fundraising campaign for the construction of an art- ist's residency, and we encour- age everybody to support this space. We wish there were more artist run or small initia- tives like that, and more people daring to do projects outside of the institutional frame. Institutions are important, but not everything. In a balanced art scene, there should always be a healthy ratio between insti- tutional and non-institutional spaces; the more, the merrier. Work also has to be done on writing about art and the edu- cation of art, both in terms of educating the artists, but also the broader public. What's next for you? Fragmenta will continue to do pop-up exhibitions in pub- lic space throughout the years 2015 and 2016. Fragmenta is dedicated to showing great stuff and offering experiences. It is also about the people seeing it. Ultimately, Fragmenta is about dialogue. In 2016, we will col- laborate on some events with the Valletta 2018 Foundation. We also have several projects in the pipeline, but nothing is defined yet. Filfla Findings will be on show on June 21 only from 15:00 to 19:00 at Ghar Lapsi, Siggiewi (close to the bunker) For more information about Fragmenta, log on to: https://fragmentama- lta.wordpress.com/ or on Face- book https://www.facebook.com/ fragmenta.malta?fref=ts TEODOR RELJIC speaks to artist Bettina Hutschek on behalf of 'Fragmenta' – a fringe art collective organising small-scale pop-up exhibitions around the island – whose next project, 'Filfla Findings' will be a freeform visual interpretation of the island of Filfla and its history PHOTOGRAPHY BY BETTINA HUTSCHEK AND RITTY TACSUM Bettina Hutschek Filfla (above and below). 'The island is the elsewhere, the alternative solution' – Bettina Hutschek