Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/664438
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 10 APRIL 2016 30 This Week Working with local communi- ties requires a degree of under- standing and sensitivity – so as to avoid both exploitation and kitsch. How did you choose your informants and participants, and what kind of effort did you make to ensure your employment of their thoughts and works was truthful? Martina Buhagiar: The Win- drose Project had directly identi- fied that the value of knowledge concerning the sensitivity to- wards natural occurrences has been passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth and most of it has been kept within that circle of locals who make use of that knowledge. So the Windrose Project under- stood that the best way to reach this knowledge would be to go to the locals in their environment, as documented material was bare. The Windrose Project first held an event in each of the four cho- sen localities which was put up in collaboration with their local councils. 'Tiftakar l-Ewwel Darba li Għamilt Tajra?' ('Do you remem- ber the first time you made a kite?') stemmed out of the lost tradition of flying a kite. Apart from a set of kite-making workshops held to teach children how the earlier generations used to make a kite, the Windrose Project set up an open space where locals were welcomed to share knowl- edge and stories about the wind. Prior to the event, the local coun- cils guided us towards individuals that would have plenty of knowl- edge to share. These individuals were warmly invited to the event. Key inform- ants were then identified from the entire list of individuals for the quality and quantity of knowledge they provided. What the individuals shared with us from one locality corresponded very well with what was shared with us from the other localities and so on even though they had not met, almost like hearing an- other language spoken only by those that work with nature. They shared this language with us. This information has been documented also to help its preservation and transmission. What kind of 'truths' did you discover about the Maltese is- lands, through this project which appears to be all about pinpoint- ing the islands through very 'pri- mordial' elements? MB: The kind of 'truths' discov- ered were found in the experience these fishermen, farmers, labour- ers lived. They were all exposed and taught, by their forbears, to be in tune with the rhythm of the nature around them from a young age, as for most, their work de- pended on it. The same way we depend on electronic machinery to search for these 'truths' about the nature and its elements, the people we met have learned to look to the skies and all that surrounds them. The people whom we interviewed shared with us how to predict the wind's direction from natural signs such as the different shapes and direction of the moving clouds and the shape and glow of the moon. They shared with us which wind could predict particular birds' ar- rival to the islands and which fish are best caught depending on how strong the wind is. Some have even affirmed how the cat, and many other creatures have not lost their natural instinct to feel where the wind will come from beforehand and this is revealed in the way they are sometimes positioned. How did the project come about? What kind of discussions did you have before settling on this concept? Jimmy Grima: As individuals, we might have difficulty recalling why we, the Maltese, have distinctive community practices and tradi- tions. We should ask ourselves where these ideas came from. Ad- dress this question at a public level and our memories and our ideas, where they were once fragment- ed, come together. The collective memory is deeper and richer than that of the individual. In a world where printed word and online videos rapidly spread cultural ideas, it can be easy to overlook local concepts and be- liefs. Our folklore, passed down generations by word of mouth, lends depth and meaning to tradi- tional Maltese beliefs and customs, and yet it is endangered. Written records are scant and its popularity has been waning. For many years, the rubberbodies collective (the RBC) has focused on such history. Our work has culmi- nated into presentations such as Lore of the Sea (2010), White Sea (2011), and, more recently, The Wind-Rose Project (2014–2016). The difference between our pre- vious works and this is the main theme shifted from sea to winds and the outcomes from perfor- mance to sculptures. Our sources in the past were mainly curators and historians while this time round we worked directly with community members from these four locations and involved them directly in our creative process. How did you choose the artists involved, and what did you hope they would bring to the project? Jimmy Grima: There are four art- ists at the core of this project. Mar- tina Buhagiar has been involved in minor roles in our previous pro- jects and she comes from the same school of thought most of us come from: that of devising and collabo- rative process. Martina's role was mainly to devise, research and con- ceptualise, together with me and the rest of the group. She took the lead and became our voice with the communities and developed a fan- tastic relationship with the seven key people from the communities we have collaborated with in this project. She brought in fresh ideas and approaches and assisted and sup- ported me in the creative process Forming part of the rubberbodies collective's 'Windrose Project' a new community-based exhibition of kinetic sculptures Il-Pinnuri will be next in line for the long- running theatre/ art initiative. TEODOR RELJIC speaks to the project's main coordinators, Jimmy Grim and Martina Buhagiar, who talk about the project's thematic core – the wind – and how they also hope it will highlight communal traditions that are in danger of dying out Follow the wind Testing the Il-Pinnuri installation in Mgarr