URBAN FABRIC

Malta Pavilion takes over the central courtyard at Somerset House for its first presentation at The London Design Biennale this June

Arts Council Malta is proud to announce ‘Urban Fabric’, by collaborative design team Open Square Collective, made up of fashion designer Luke Azzopardi, artist and academic Trevor Borg and architects Matthew Joseph Casha and Alessia Deguara. The installation will be presented at the Malta Pavilion for its inaugural participation at the London Design Biennale in 1 – 25 June 2023, responding to the biennale theme of ‘The Global Game: Remapping Collaborations’.

Conceived through a fusion of art, architecture and innovative design, Urban Fabric is a large-scale installation informed by contextual research and a deep-rooted appreciation of the need for sustainable design. The project re-contextualises the traditional Maltese village core and merges two separate elements - traditional city planning and the Phoenician-Maltese tradition of fabric production and dyeing. Thus, Urban Fabric strives to encourage discourse about the environment by presenting a well-researched, thought-provoking creative installation that combines aesthetic and spatial awareness with activism. Many of the materials from Urban Fabric will be repurposed for a new installation in Valletta in 2024. The installation will enjoy a prominent showcase during the Biennale within the central courtyard at Somerset House in London. Audiences in Malta will also be able to engage with the installation via an online portal.

The Malta Pavilion is commissioned by Arts Council Malta, under the auspices of Malta’s Ministry for the National Heritage, The Arts and Local Government. Internationalisation Executive at Arts Council Malta, Romina Delia, is the project leader of the Malta Pavilion at the London Design Biennale 2023. Urban Fabric by Open Square Collective is presented at the Malta Pavilion at the London Design Biennale, Somerset House, from 1-25 June 2023.

Read the exclusive interview with the team on page 18 >>> https://urbanfabricmalta.com https://londondesignbiennale.com