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encore.com.mt THE RIGHT ENERGY SAVINGS CHOICE BOV Personal Energy Loan Start saving and be part of a sustainable future with new solar panels. Talk to us | 2131 2020 | bov.com All loans are subject to normal bank lending criteria and final approval from the Bank. The term of the loan must not go beyond retirement age. Issued by Bank of Valletta p.l.c., 58, Triq San Żakkarija, Il-Belt Valletta VLT 1130. Bank of Valletta p.l.c. is a public limited company regulated by the MFSA and is licensed to carry out the business of banking in terms of the Banking Act (Cap. 371 of the Laws of Malta). | COM 2411 EERE Malta is co-financed by the Republic of Malta, the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund. ENCORE > EDITORIAL Welcome to the February edition of Encore - Arts & Culture and, together with the new year we also welcome on board three new partners that we are extremely happy to be collaborating with. So, shout-out to ZfinMalta, Spazju Kreattiv and Teatru Malta. Do check out the rather clever puzzle that Teatru Malta have created as part of their first contribution to the magazine! And here we are, embarking on a new year of cultural programming. Sadly, the spectre of COVID-19 still very much hovers on us, of course.Yet, miraculously, the microcosm that encompasses the cultural landscape in Malta is not only alive, but also kicking hard. Our Public Cultural Organisations have forged ahead with a 2021 programme - adapted to the current situation, of course. Some events are held live, albeit in different format than we are used to. Others are held online. But, despite the gloomiest of predictions, the creative sector soldiers on. Not without difficulty, of course. Speak to any artist and the likelihood is that you will hear the same refrain: we are teetering on the brink. But amid the worries and the fears, one aspect shines bright. Many of us have discovered a resilience we didn’t know we had within us. And, faced with the reality that our usual modus operandi no longer remains feasible, we have adapted. We may not yet be out of the woods, but we are giving fate a good run for its money. The biggest problem, it turns out, remains that age-old one that has always besieged the artistic sector: how to get the audience to treat artists like the professionals they are - to be blunt, paid professionals. Maltese audiences had only just been coming to terms with the idea of professionalisation of the arts, when suddenly COVID-19 hit out of the blue. And artists suddenly found themselves struggling not to be dragged back to the sark ages of working for free. The digitalisation of the arts brought with it yet a different problem, in addition to the fast-tracked mastering of new skills. Getting people to recognise the monetary value of streamed events. It's going to be a long road, but we have already seen it work with events like the Three Palaces Festival and ŻiguŻajg. Undoubtedly, the sector will pull through. The road ahead may be a painful one, but the rewards will make it worth the sacrifice. 01 IF THE SKY CAN CRACK A YEAR IN THE COMPANY 04 The iconic U2 lyrics appear to have been 27 OF MALTESE ARTISTS purposely created for the dramatic image The BOV Calendar 2021 of a lightning double strike over St Paul’s Islands, as captured by Reuben Piscopo MASKIL JEW FEMMINIL? A STAGE FOR OUR TIME 28 Il-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ilsien Malti jispjega fil-qosor x’inhu l-ġens Teatru Manoel continues to pioneer the 08 grammatikali arts sector even throughout the current global hardships DON’T STOP THE DANCE TEATRU MALTA DEBUTS 12 ŻfinMalta invites audiences to a new 30 THEIR ASSOCIATE experience of contemporary dance ARTISTS FOR 2021 Six artists will collaborate with Teatru Malta through the Associate Artists’ COMMITTED TO A programme 16 MASSIVE RETURN Earth Garden continues on its strong ART AND THE SOCIAL survival strategy while planning a massive 32 TABOO live return for 2022 The thin line between the sacred and the profane is an artist’s playground, it is said. CELEBRATING MALTESE Can an artist ever go too far? 20 MUSIC As Mużika Mużika - Festival Kanzunetta XEWKIJA WINDMILL Maltija gets ready to launch, Maltese 36 REGAINS ITS SAILS language music is set to take the spotlight A thorough restoration job part financed by the European Union has returned the Tmien Kantunieri windmill to its former DOLLS, CRANES AND glory 24 WHAT ‘KNOTS’ The new season at Spazju Kreattiv presents art as a catalyst for social change DESIGNING A RESILIENT 40 STRATEGY A ROLLER-COASTER RIDE Arts Council Malta looks to the future with Strategy 2025, designing a robust roadmap 26 OF EMOTIONS for the creative sectors What happens when your little brother is not the super-hero you expected? 02 ENCORE > CONTENTS Publisher Encore Publishers Directors Ruben Zahra & Reuben Spiteri 24 Editor Ramona Depares # Sub-Editor Tricia Dawn Williams Strategy Soundscapes Creative Director Daniel Borg Design & Layout Kuluri ISSUE Photographers Domenic Aquilina, Marin Babanov, Lindsey Bahia, Albert Camilleri, Dominic Catania, Daryl Cauchi, Reuben Piscopo, Dragana Rankovic, Elisa Von Brockdrof, Ruben Zahra, Mark Zammit Cordina Contributors Laura Bonnici, Warren Bugeja, Ramona Depares, Iggy Fenech, Paul Grech TOY PIANOS AREN’T Trevor Zahra 44 PLAYING AROUND Front Cover Photography by Reuben Piscopo. Concert pianist Tricia Dawn Williams and Printers Print It her toy pianos Contact [email protected] • [email protected] GEARING UP FOR A 46 BUSY 2021 2021 is set to be a busy year for the Foundation for Tomorrow’s School RECORDING THE FUTURE 50 A collaboration with Grammy-nominated sound engineer and music producer with Jan Košulič has paved the way to new successes for our national orchestra MORE AT MUŻA 52 The European and Empire narratives at the museums are extended by five new galleries CulturalHeritageDirectorate CITIES, HARBOURS AND 54 ARTEFACTS Public lectures have returned to the national libraries with a focus on Valletta’s early modern landscape OLIVER U JIEN 56 Oliver Friggieri - ġabra ta’ tifkiriet mill- awtur Trevor Żahra Encore Partners Arts Council Malta • Bank Of Valletta • Direttorat għall-Wirt Kulturali Għawdex AN IMMERSIVE JOURNEY Festivals Malta • Heritage Malta • Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ilsien Malti • Malta Libraries Malta Philharmonic Orchestra • Merlin Publishers • Ministry for Education and Employment 60 Exhibitions from the masters are celebrated Spazju Kreattiv • Teatru Malta • Teatru Manoel • ŻfinMalta in spectacular detail on the big-screen Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. Opinions expressed in Encore as well as its content do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or editor. Even though attention has been taken to ensure truth and accuracy, the editor and the publisher cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions in articles, advertising, photographs or illustrations. © 2021 03 WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO TURN ONE MOMENT IN TIME INTO PHOTOGRAPHIC ART? IN THIS THIRD INTERVIEW FROM THE LIFE CYCLES SERIES, STORM-CHASER REUBEN PISCOPO WALKS RAMONA DEPARES THROUGH THE ENTIRE PROCESS THAT WENT INTO CREATING THE FINAL IMAGE OF A SPECTACULAR DOUBLE LIGHTNING STRIKE PHOTOGRAPHY BY REUBEN PISCOPO ENCORE > LIFE CYCLES The morning a storm made its way unexpectedly strike wasn’t expected to happen imminently. And yet, towards the North of Malta, for most of us the halfway through his day at work, one glance at the sky looming clouds meant double-checking our windows triggered his instincts and felt that he would only have and carefully planning our way back home from work a few of hours to set up and prep for the shoot. so as to avoid those roads that would be worst-hit by “On the spur of the moment, I applied for a half the floods. But not photographer Reuben Piscopo – day of leave and rushed home to collect my gear. for him, the upcoming storm meant only one thing. Fortunately, I live up North, so I wasn’t too far off The potential for the perfect photo. from what I felt would be the perfect spot for the Piscopo is one of the few specialised ‘stormchasers’ storm,” Piscopo explains, as all indications on the on this island, always on the lookout for the next weather and wind apps that every stormchaser electric show put up by nature, trying to capture that follows assiduously concurred. elusive perfect moment to translate the art in our Stormchasing is not exactly a common art in Malta. skies into photography. And, with his Double Strike Indeed, Piscopo remembers that when he took it up Across St Paul’s Islands, he may have succeeded in some 12 years ago he was one of the first to bring it doing just that. to the island. “Typically, I’d be following a storm’s progress “At the time it was about five of us running around, for a few days before it gets to Malta. Nowadays informing each other where the next hit was we’re lucky to have the luxury of online data and expected, spending nights together driving around information. Storm-chasing photography is not the island in search of the perfect photo. I suppose something that happens on the spur of the moment; we were the pioneers for this form of art in Malta,” it’s an artform that needs to be planned carefully. he chuckles. Without the right preparation, you risk either ending up in the eye of the storm, or missing out on the A certain amount of preparations are required and, opportunity,” he explains, adding that the right photo luckily, on the day of the double strike Piscopo can only be achieved if you catch the storm as it’s managed to get everything ready just in time, getting slowly advancing.