PREVIEWING GHALLIS AND ISSA

In the same spirit, local architecture firm 3DM will present ISSA, an installation inviting the visitor to actively re-engage with the Maltese cultural and built heritage and aiming at rediscovering and redefining what the elements of a truly Maltese architectural identity are. “We need to experiment with our own materials and modern technology, respect the context, and come up with creations that will mirror our identity for the next 50-100 years” said Maurizio Ascione, co-founder of 3DM, at the local preview of the installation, earlier this year. The multidisciplinary team including Antonio Lorusso, Berta Calleja, Diego Acero Rangel, Kenneth Rausi, Luca Zarb, Mariel Vignoni, Matthew Farrugia, Michele Azzopardi, Paul Dalli, Luke Lee Vella Mintoff, Peter Zabek, Poppy Cambridge, Sigmund Mifsud, Wafik Nasri, Tuan Bui and Ken Chircop, hopes to “provoke an emotional reaction, a sensitive awareness” into the visitors who will be experiencing the installation.

In both cases, the eagerness to actively engage with heritage in an innovative manner highlights an important shift in focus for the local debate on heritage, identity and sustainability.

The growing interest of Maltese architecture firms in contributing to Time, Space, Existence - the satellite event of the Architecture Biennale di Venezia organised by the European Cultural Centre Italy - starting from the first participation of AP Valletta in 2014, is signalling the need for more opportunities for local architects and curators to join international platforms focusing on the debate on the built environment.

“Time, Space, Existence has given us an opportunity to be present within the far-reaching scope of this year’s Biennale. It positions us in Venice at a time when all of the world’s designers, critics and place-makers are gathering to talk and think about what will matter most as we continue to physically and intellectually build our futures”, said Ann Dingli (writer and curator) and Sandro Valentino (Valentino Architects), part of the team behind GHALLIS, which includes Sumaya Ben Saad, Matthew Farrugia, Luca Zarb and Tara Žikic, a group of students from University of Malta. In line with the curatorial statement of Lesley Lokko for the main exhibition at the Arsenale, under the title “The Laboratory of the

Future”, the team hopes to position its proposal for the adaptive reuse of the 17th century Torri tal-Ghallis as a prompt for exploration around flexible retrofit, introducing a new counter to a local cult of newbuild development.

“The premise of Lesley Lokko’s curation is a need to amplify historically hidden, overlooked or subjugated voices. In a local context, this translates to the people who want to preserve what’s good about Malta’s urban heritage, whilst propelling forward ideas that align with environmental and social longevity. Sensitive, ethical architecture is now the clear underdog in the conversation and practical evolution of Malta’s built environment. GHALLIS is an ambassador for that underrepresented voice, and a showcase of what wellmeaning, sensitive architecture can do to add value to our built fabric. This, we hope, tallies with Lokko’s call for agency, change and action” explains Ann Dingli. Their aim is to explore how historic, fortified structures like Torri tal-Ghallis might be creatively adapted, as well as their potential for becoming more accessible to wider public use. As such, the functional flexibility of new architectural elements is driven by an end-goal of inclusiveness, resisting any prescribed function. “In Malta we are missing a discussion around how we can hybridise a solution to conserving heritage assets and allowing them to be commercially viable, whilst simultaneously recovering them for public use. We hope this will translate into a message on why heritage retrofit needs more attention and more lateral thinking, and how it could be the answer to making existing buildings more open and usable”, concludes Sandro Valentino.

Both GHALLIS and ISSA, inaugurated on the 18th of May 2023, as part of the collective exhibition Time, Space, Existence in Venice - GHALLIS at Palazzo Mora, ISSA at Palazzo Bembo. Both venues will be open to the public until 26th November 2023.

For more information and updates, visit the official website https:// timespaceexistence.com/

Interview /Malta Pavilion / London Design Biennale 2023