Pink (November 2019)

A trailer of The Pink Fashion Show

FOR A LEADING-EDGE TAKE ON THE VINTAGE MOVIE STAR

LUKE AZZOPARDI’S FIRST READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION ON THE PINK CATWALK ON DECEMBER 5

HE’S A MARRIED GUY IN HIS 40s

AND, YES, HE’S INTO MAKE-UP

ISSUE180∫NOVEMBER2019

MOTHERHOOD AFTER MENINGITIS

‘I’M A WOMAN, A MUM, AND I’M DISABLED’

TALKING ABOUT TAKING YOUR LIFE

IT COULD SAVE SOMEONE SUICIDAL

Meet a symbol of the 1920s FAMOUS, DISSOLUTE, UNINHIBITED… AND MORE THAN A LITTLE BIT ‘CRAZY’

48

INSIDE

November 2019

18 32

FEATURES 14 PrivateEye just Amy Academic, activist, amputee… and mum 18 WomensWorld girl force Female crew members ride the wave 23 InFocus let’s talk about it Speaking about suicide could save lives 28 ArtyFacts releasing the power of the arts In pursuit of impactful productions

54 14 73

FASHION 38 ShowStopper screen-siren style A peek at the look of The Pink Fashion Show 48 FashionStory a unique brand of drama An awaited ready-to-wear line

HEALTH & BEAUTY 54 BeautyParlour behind the scenes The man underneath the make-up 62 InThePink is strong the new skinny?

Or is it just another dangerous addiction?

REGULARS 9 EditorsNote 10 MailShot 32 WomanKind a new woman Zelda Fitzgerald 29 ThinkPink 65 RelationTips social suicide What's technology doing to us?

73 SnapShot all that jazz Nadine Axisa

COVER Photography Carlton Agius ∫ Styling Marisa Grima [marisagrima.com] ∫ Hair Alberto Spiteri @ Niumee ∫ Make-up Chirs Attard, using Guerlain ∫ Model Gabriella @ Supernova MM, wearing dress, €75, Oasis ∫ Gucci sunglasses, €727, O’hea Opticians ∫ Location Rialto, Bormla.

6 ∫ Pink November 2019

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With photographer Carlton Agius and stylist Marisa Grima.

EDITORSNOTE

It’s that time of the year again. The Pink Fashion Show is upon us and we start to be consumed by the organisation of this most anticipated event on the country’s catwalk calendar.

As I write, a box of hundreds of envelopes [it’s painful to be specific about quantities] is waiting to have postal addresses written on each in the pen of choice for this edition.

Meanwhile, the bleeping of my phone is constant, with messages from each and every person we invite, who we contact individually to inform and to see if they can make it.

Writing this editorial is, in fact, feeling somewhat extra in view of a long to-do list in the dead of night, while the rest of this household has long been asleep.

Invitations are hot off the press, while meetings with key logistics people are held in colder temperatures and pouring rain, which only make you want to start staying in.

But for the next couple of weeks, Bormla will become our new home – or at least, we will be visiting it more frequently and discovering more of it as we go along. Because yes, location is key for The Pink Fashion Show, and it is imperative for us to invite our many guests to a venue that is a novelty and guarantees the element of surprise.

This Christmas, it’s the Rialto, a disused cinema that was built in the 1950s and closed down about 40 years ago. Reviving the Art Moderne site and being inspired by its former

use has been fun. The venue is always the starting point, taking us back, this time, to the screen sirens of the Golden Age of Hollywood, with a contemporary, yet retro, twist.

And as always, we have a fantastic team of creatives, who will be doing the models’ hair, make-up and styling – an amazing process that always comes together seamlessly and translates into an eye-catching theme.

In this issue of Pink, in the build-up to the show, the photo shoot on page 38 captures the look and feel of the high-street brands on the catwalk – from Calzedonia to Cortefiel, Darmanin Footwear, Marks & Spencer, Oasis, O’hea Opticians, Pedro del Hierro, Vascas, Women’secret, as well as Luke Azzopardi Ready to Wear, which will be launched on the night, hot on the heels of the Maltese designer’s London Fashion Week debut with Nocturnal Artefacts.

Read all about this new line and where it flourishes from in FashionStory on page 48 to whet your appetite for more.

ShowStopper also showcases the hairstyles that will be created by Alberto Spiteri from Niumee and Neville Zammit from Nev Hair Salon; while the elegant and chic look is the work of Chris Attard from Franks – the Art of Living Beautiful, using Guerlain, whose story about being a man with a passion for make-up is related in BeautyParlour on page 54.

To continue on this note, meet an early 20th-century icon who symbolises the era we are focused on in WomanKind on page 32; and if you’re not on the guestlist, try your hand at winning two tickets as the MailShot prize overleaf on page 10.

But it’s not only about fun and glamour in Pink magazine. And while we escape reality on the night of the fashion show and plunge into movie magic, hot topics such as the stigma that still surrounds mental health and suicide – as well as being a disabled mum – are all also tackled in depth.

November 24, 2019 ∫ Pink is a monthly magazine ∫ Issue 180 ∫ Executive editor Fiona Galea Debono ∫ Publisher Allied Newspapers Ltd ∫ Printing Progress Press Ltd ∫ Production Allied Newspapers Ltd ∫ Contributors Chirs Attard, Adriana Bishop, Anna Marie Galea, Mary Galea Debono, Marisa Grima, Helen Raine, Maureen Saguna, Antoinette Sinnas, Alberto Spiteri ∫ Design Manuel Schembri ∫ Photography Carlton Agius, Jonathan Borg, Matthew Mirabelli, Bernard Polidano, Chris Sant Fournier ∫ Advertising sales Veronica Grech Sant [2276 4333; veronica.grechsant@timesofmalta.com].

THIS PUBLICATION IS BEING DISTRIBUTED AS PART OF:

@pinkmagazine

@pinkmagazine_tom

© 2019. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole, or in part, without written permission of the publishers, is prohibited.

Pink November 2019 ∫ 9

MAILSHOT

THE LETTER THAT TICKLED PINK BEING DIFFERENT IS BEING SPECIAL Dear Pink, of all the magazines that are issued with Times of Malta/The Sunday Times of Malta, Pink is definitely my favourite. I don’t know why, but many articles touch me close to my heart as if they were written specifically to interest me, and it’s not the first time I read it from cover to cover. Maybe it’s because of the topics, or maybe because the articles are written by women. Whatever the case, the June issue in particular touched me to the very core with the article The Other Side of the Spectrum [Private Eye]. Autism spectrum disorder is a very familiar term in our life as a family.

My now 13-year-old daughter was diagnosed at the age of two, and ever since, our family has changed to embrace this. My heart goes out to Graziella, who was diagnosed so late. I found that when we received the diagnosis for our daughter, although difficult to accept, it was a blessing in disguise as we could then move forward and open our eyes to issues related with autism and work on them [of course with professional help]. When there is an early diagnosis, the outcome of therapy is more effective.

Graziella must have suffered a lot, not understanding what was wrong with her and why she was so different. My daughter is aware of her condition and understands she is different, however special. She is aware of what makes her uncomfortable and works on it with our support. Being different is not necessarily bad. Being different is being special. Graziella’s story is so inspiring. Thank you for sharing it. With the correct guidance and support, I truly believe people on the spectrum can do extraordinary things. Good luck Graziella! May all your dreams come true. Thank you for being so open about your condition. I can see my daughter in you in a few years’ time. I shall keep this copy of Pink to show her that she can achieve whatever she believes in. In this issue I also liked Liza’s story of her home birth [LifeStyle] – it’s amazing how things can happen so fast in childbirth! Thank you Pink.

ISABELLE CASSAR, FROM ZURRIEQ

The writer of the letter of the month wins a Korres Water Lily Body Oil and a Korres Anti-Wrinkle & Firming Eye Cream, courtesy of A.M. Mangion.

WRITE IN AND WIN We want to hear from you. Send us your feedback on Pink and any stories that may have touched you in some way, and you stand a chance of winning a Lancaster Instant Glow Hydration & Glow Pink Gold Peel-Off Mask, courtesy of SVBEAUTY – a member of the VJ Salomone Group of Companies and distributor of Lancaster products; and two invitations to The Pink Fashion Show on December 5.

Write to Pink, with your contact details, at Allied Newspapers Limited, Triq l-Intornjatur, Mrieћel, BKR 3000, or send an e-mail to pink@timesofmalta.com Correspondence may be edited for length and clarity. If prizes are not claimed within two months, they will no longer be available. Winners should be willing to have their photograph taken for marketing purposes.

10 ∫ Pink November 2019

SUCH AN INTELLIGENT PERSON As always, I was eager to buy the last issue of The Sunday Times of Malta, knowing that since it was the last one for the month of October, I would find Pink magazine with it.

It’s such a pleasure reading such interesting articles. This time round, I was extremely moved by the editorial [EditorsNote]. There is that part where the editor mentions all the accolades that have been attributed, posthumously, to the late Daphne Caruana Galizia. Surely, we Maltese should be so proud to have had among us such an intelligent person, whose work as a journalist makes her one of the very best we have had in Malta and all over the world.

With her great intelligence, she has paved the way to some important changes in Malta. In my opinion, the most important of all is that politicians, like all other normal citizens, must undergo checks and balances. I would like to refer to a photo shoot from the first issue of Taste magazine, way back in 2004. I really treasure this issue – even more so now. Ms Caruana Galizia was the mind behind this magazine, and of course the editor. Her perfect English, her class, her original ideas shine through. Many thanks to all the hard-working team at Pink magazine.

CONCETTA CUTAJAR, FROM SAN GWANN

REAL-LIFE STORY OF LOVE, FAMILY SUPPORT AND LIFE Dear Editor, I look forward to reading Pink magazine; the articles are always very well chosen and very interesting.

The June issue had a very heart-warming story of a young mother who gave birth to her baby in her mother’s spare toilet, Home Birth [LifeStyle]. Both mother and daughter showed such strength and determination, and above all stayed in control of the situation. It was certainly a family affair; the grandchildren were in the apartment, the young mother’s brother and husband turned up, and even the neighbours were around to cheer and welcome the newcomer along. Perhaps I let my imagination run away with me, but it seemed to me like a scene out of a Neapolitan film! It was refreshing to read about this wonderful real-life story of love, family support and life.

Well done Antoinette Sinnas for a very well-written and touching story! Well done Pink, and we look forward to many more issues to come.

VICTORIA GRECH, VIA E-MAIL

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PRIVATEEYE

JUST AMY

Amy Camilleri Zahra opens up about motherhood after meningitis to MAUREEN SAGUNA. At her home and in the company of her 18-month-old son, Gianni, and Harvey, the lively pup, she tells her that people feel if you’re disabled, you shouldn’t be a mother! The amputee, activist and academic teaches about these stereotypes… but also gets to live them, and is constantly fighting them off.

A

my was a typical 21-year-old, with plans to spend a semester in Scotland, finish her course in engineering, travel a bit and get a nice car when she fell ill with meningitis. Within a few days, she was fighting for her life.

Her story has been told time and again and her fight against meningococcal septicaemia, which resulted in the amputation of her legs and parts of her fingers, as well as a kidney transplant two years later, has been amply documented. Amy’s life, however, is much more than her medical history.

She is now a university lecturer, currently reading for a PhD, happily married and mum to a toddler. Still, it would be naïve to think that her struggles with illness haven’t had any impact on the way she lives her life today, so this is about the woman behind the infectious smile and unwavering optimism that we all have grown to love.

Discussing motherhood and her experience with pregnancy and birth, it turns out that this too was anything but straightforward. Conceiving took some time because of medications that needed to be stopped temporarily; and because it didn’t happen immediately, they adopted their dog in case things didn’t work out.

sway a bit, but it was actually a really nice experience. I thought I’d have trouble with my legs… that they would swell up, but they didn’t.”

Then, almost as an afterthought: “But towards the end, I had to be hospitalised because my blood pressure went up and I had a very bad infection after giving birth… It was very bad, to the point where they thought I had sepsis again.”

Luckily, Amy pulled through and, even though she was in a lot of pain at the time, she still looks back on that period fondly and only has words of praise for the care she got at the maternity ward and from her obstetrician and nephrologist.

Fast forward a year-and-a-half and Amy is the picture of health. It can be easy to forget what she has gone through, or even that she has a physical impairment. Sometimes, she has to remind her own family that certain activities that might require no thought from the rest of us, like going shopping in Valletta, for example, take a lot out of her.

“Once I read that, as a prosthetic leg user, I am almost considered to be an athlete,” she says. “The energy I use is the same an athlete would use if they were running, for example.” Although she plays it down, there are other

“I ALSO HAVE TO TAKE A COCKTAIL OF MEDICATIONS TO BE ABLE TO KEEP MY TRANSPLANTED KIDNEY FROM BEING REJECTED. THEN THERE ARE OTHER COMPLICATIONS: I HAVE TO MONITOR MY BLOOD PRESSURE; AND I GET SICK MORE OFTEN BECAUSE MY IMMUNE SYSTEM IS REALLY LOW, SO I PICK UP WHATEVER IS GOING AROUND” “We got Harvey thinking that, at least, we’d have someone to take care of. We bought him for our anniversary in early June and we found out we were expecting just three weeks later. Harvey wasn’t even here yet because we got him from the UK! I always say that Gianni is here because of Harvey. Because at that point, I had said: What will happen will happen. When you let go, it happens.”

When asked whether her impairment had affected the pregnancy, she shrugs. “I thought I was going to have more problems. I actually had a relatively good pregnancy.

Maybe I wasn’t walking as straight, because obviously, I do 14 ∫ Pink November 2019

things that are now a normal part of Amy’s life. The most obvious are her prosthetic limbs, which could easily be mistaken for real legs, with toenails painted a brilliant red.

She has a second pair, which is made specifically to be used for water activities and is hollow so they can fill up with water while swimming.

This pair attracts a little more attention, especially that of children. She laughs as she talks about their reaction when she gets out of the pool and water starts pouring out of the holes: “Children stare and it’s so cute. They ask questions and I see them looking with their goggles…”

PRIVATEEYE Amy Camilleri Zahra and Gianni.

At night, she uses a wheelchair to go to the bathroom.

“When Gianni was smaller, I used to sit him on my lap, and we’d go for a spin around the flat. But now I only use it at night.”

Going abroad is more expensive for Amy than it used to be since she now needs to stay in four- or five-star hotels because they have larger rooms where she can use her wheelchair. She says travelling takes some extra planning, not because she lost her legs, but because of poor planning on the part of the architects of many buildings.

“I also have to take a cocktail of medications to be able to keep my transplanted kidney from being rejected. Then there are other complications: I have to monitor my blood

pressure; and I get sick more often because my immune system is really low, so I pick up whatever is going around.

Last winter was horrible.”

Still, Amy takes it all in her stride. When I ask her about her day and how her disability affects her role of a working mother, if at all, she goes through her daily routines and they sound identical to those of other young mums. The difficulties arise when she leaves her home.

“Some people think that my impairment is the thing I have to overcome. And it is. I have to go to hospital for blood tests every couple of months; sometimes my legs don’t fit well... or you get a sore from the heat and can’t wear them… I’d be lying if I said these things didn’t cause Pink November 2019 ∫ 15

PRIVATEEYE

“I DON’T WANT OTHER PEOPLE’S PITY. I JUST WANT ACCESSIBILITY AND CONSIDERATION” me heartache or worry, but the real issues are going out and having to think about accessible parking, accessible places. For example, finding accessible playgroups for my son has been almost impossible.”

Amy recently wanted to attend a play date that was being held in a basement. The gradient of the ramp was too steep for her to be able to go down with the pushchair and a bag while walking on prosthetic legs. Since she cannot move her ankles, her knees have to make up for any shift in weight distribution, which causes a lot of pressure on them and on her back. Eventually, she decided she wouldn’t attend.

“We have such a closed idea of who can be disabled. I’m a woman, a mother and I’m disabled… That doesn’t even feature in people’s minds. Because if you’re disabled, you shouldn’t be a mother. We consider disabled people to be those in a wheelchair and older people, maybe… I teach about this, but I also get to live it. I feel like I’m constantly fighting these stereotypes.”

To further illustrate her point, she mentions mammogram machines, saying they’re not made for someone in a wheelchair because you have to be standing, therefore, implying that disabled young women are not taken into consideration.

“It’s not taking off or putting on my legs… that’s the least of my problems. It’s the constant strategising,” she says, referring to the extra time she has to allow whenever she 16 ∫ Pink November 2019

goes somewhere, hoping to find a parking spot for disabled, or at least a space that isn’t too far from her destination.

“I can’t go to all the places other mummies go to.”

It would appear that Amy’s life is almost identical to that of others, and of other young working mothers, and she thinks so too. Having an impairment is her biological reality, she agrees, whereas a disability is not something she has, but rather that society creates for her.

“I tell my students that if all Malta were accessible, I would not be disabled,” she says. “I would still have my impairment, but I wouldn’t be disabled. I don’t want other people’s pity. I just want accessibility and consideration.”

Finally, how does it feel to be a household name not because of something she did, but because of something that happened to her. Amy says that, sometimes, people go up to her to thank her for inspiring them to keep fighting through their own difficulties, especially those caused by ill health.

“Then sometimes, I get the weird stories, like people walking up to me at the supermarket telling me they feel sorry for me,” she says, smiling. “Or when they tell my husband that he’ll go straight to heaven,” she adds with a chuckle, clearly finding it amusing.

Amy assures that she is no hero, contrary to what many insist on calling her. She is just Amy, a young mother trying to balance the demands of family and career, while fielding the obstacles that life throws at her. She just does so with a contagious smile and a lot of grace.

WOMENSWORLD Gabriella Mifsud, Emilie Gregory and Lacey Aquilina.

GIRL FORCE ANNA MARIE GALEA speaks to three members of the first all-female crew to complete the Rolex Middle Sea Race about their trials and tribulations at sea and the exhilarating, intoxicating feelings that keep them going back for more.

P

opularised by the Spice Girls in the mid-1990s, the term ‘Girl Power’ has been loosely used ever since – many times in not the most fitting of contexts. However, hearing what our young interviewees went through in order to be part of the first all-female team to complete such a challenging offshore race, it is hard to think of a more fitting tribute to these three youthful champions.

Gabriella Mifsud, 19, Emilie Gregory, 18, and Lacey Aquilina, 16, all had early

18 ∫ Pink November 2019

introductions into the sailing world, with Gabriella starting at the age of 10, Emily at the age of eight and Lacey at six. They also all started sailing Optimist boats, meant for use by children till the age of 15; and they credit their families with passing on the sailing bug in one way or another: Lacey’s father is, in fact, multiple awardwinning sailor Mario Aquilina. For all three, nothing comes above their love of sailing, but taking this road has not been without personal sacrifice.

“All of us have given up so much for this,” Lacey states as the others nod in agreement. “It’s not just the courses we have to take, but it’s also the hours we have to spend at the gym to build up our strength, as well as the fact that we have to give up our social lives completely before a race. We are not only grateful for the immense support we get at home and from The Jarhead Young Sailors Foundation, but also from the sailing community itself, which has been nothing but welcoming and encouraging. It helps that it is a small community and that we all know each other.”

The support they get could be palpably felt in the wonderful reception they got for being the first all-female team to complete the Rolex Middle Sea

WOMENSWORLD “YOU NEED A LOT OF STAMINA FOR HARD WEATHER CONDITIONS, BUT YOU’RE GETTING BY ON FOUR HOURS’ SLEEP, IF THAT, AND BOIL-IN-THE-BAG MEALS, WHICH, ALTHOUGH AVAILABLE IN DIFFERENT FLAVOURS, DON’T EXACTLY TASTE AMAZING. YOU’RE ALSO DOING ALL THIS IN WET CLOTHING BECAUSE YOU CAN’T TAKE A LOT OF THINGS ON BOARD AS THIS WOULD MAKE THE BOAT HEAVIER”

Race: “It was a lovely achievement,” Emilie starts, “however, at the same time, it’s a bit sad because having an all-female team shouldn’t have to be a goal in 2019.

It’s a shame that there still seems to be a bit of a barrier, but we are happy we broke through that glass ceiling once and for all.

“Sailing is an expensive sport and The Jarhead Young Sailors Foundation really helped us by sponsoring us and offering support. Our team obviously didn’t just consist of us three; apart from us three, there were three British girls, one Canadian and an American.

We were very lucky to have the team we had.”

Speaking about the racing experience at sea itself, which lasted around five days and 17 hours, Gabriella

enthusiastically recalls the entire process in detail: “We did a coastal practice race around Comino as a team as training. You need to keep in mind that we hadn’t met everyone before, so this was our opportunity to bond as a team.

“The first two days of the race, we were very fortunate to have light winds, but the third and fourth days were extremely challenging because we had very strong winds. It was gruelling because you need a lot of stamina for hard weather conditions, but you’re getting by on four hours’ sleep, if that, and boil-in-the-bag meals, which, although available in different flavours, don’t exactly taste amazing.

You’re also doing all this in wet clothing because you can’t take a lot

of things on board as this would make the boat heavier.”

Apart from the lack of clothing, there are also other factors that someone who isn’t in the know wouldn’t even take into consideration, but which are integral parts of life at sea: “There’s usually only one tube of toothpaste on board. In fact, we were lucky that, on this trip, there were two as I dropped my tube in the sea,” Emilie exclaims.

“You can’t wash while you’re at sea, so you have to use wet wipes instead, and you also have to be very careful with water. In fact, towards the end of the trip, we were rationing water because we were running out.

“There’s only one satellite phone on board and there’s no point in taking your mobile because you’ll have no reception Pink November 2019 ∫ 19

WOMENSWORLD

“THERE IS ALSO THE BEAUTY OF BEING IN A TEAM BECAUSE YOU ARE ALL RELYING ON EACH OTHER; YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS EACH OTHER”

anyway. So, you’re pretty much cut off from the rest of the world.

“If the weather is bad and you change clothes, you’ll probably be soaking wet again within seconds, so you just have to suck it up. It’s 20 ∫ Pink November 2019

particularly horrible when you get re-dressed in the cold, early morning and you slide your foot into already wet socks.”

So, given all the hardships, why do they still do it? “When you’re on the

water, you think to yourself that you never want to put yourself through that ever again, but then, the minute you’re on land, you want the journey to start all over again.”

Lacey expands on this thought by adding her own feelings: “For me, sailing is addictive and I’m always super happy to do it again. When I encounter difficult challenges, I always tell myself that, next time, I will do better. The bigger the challenge, the greater the satisfaction.

There is also the beauty of being in a team because you are all relying on each other; you have a responsibility towards each other.”

On speaking about what they took from the experience and what advice they would give to other burgeoning adventurers, they are unanimous in their responses: “If you dream of doing something, then you should just go and do it instead of overthinking it.

We can’t stress enough the pride and fulfilment we felt finishing the race and getting such a good result to boot.

“An experience like this teaches you so much. It’s like a soldier going to a fight. You go there as a team, or as an army, face the worst of the elements and then return home full of the knowledge that you gave it your all.

What’s not to love?”

INFOCUS

LET’S TALK ABOUT IT

One of the hardest topics to write about, or discuss, is suicide… but talking about it could help someone’s life. World Mental Health Day this year focused on suicide prevention, so ADRIANA BISHOP speaks to Amber Knights from SPOT on how to beat the stigma surrounding this.

“T

he biggest issue with suicide is the isolation,” begins Amber Knights, a psychotherapist and Suicide Liaison Officer at the Suicide Prevention Outreach Therapeutic [SPOT] service. Set up earlier this year as a pilot project within Victim Support Malta and funded by the Marigold Foundation, SPOT has already worked with 36 individuals so far, some of them members of the same family.

Between 2007 and 2017, there were 289 suicides, which means an average of 25 families each year lose a loved one in this way. But they feel they cannot talk about it. And that is where SPOT can help.

Amber Knights

“Asking a direct question could potentially save someone’s life. It can be very difficult to ask someone if they are feeling suicidal, but that can also prevent that person from perhaps going through with it because all they want to hear is that someone is reaching out to them and that it is OK to talk about it.”

It is not easy. It is uncomfortable, painful and scary, but never easy. It is also a tricky subject to write about. Last

“IT CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT TO ASK SOMEONE IF THEY ARE FEELING SUICIDAL, BUT THAT CAN ALSO PREVENT THAT PERSON FROM PERHAPS GOING THROUGH WITH IT BECAUSE ALL THEY WANT TO HEAR IS THAT SOMEONE IS REACHING OUT TO THEM AND THAT IT IS OK TO TALK ABOUT IT” “Isolation is felt both by individuals who are suicidal and the families who have lost someone to suicide. There is a stigma about talking about suicide,” explains Amber.

“We want to encourage the idea that it is safe to talk about suicide. If you have a relative, a colleague, or a friend whose behaviour seems a bit off or not quite right, you should feel confident to create a conversation about it.

June, the Maltese Association of Psychiatry issued a set of guidelines to journalists on how to report suicide, remarking that “sensitive reporting of suicide can save lives”.

While this complex issue requires careful and wise consideration when it comes to reporting, the MAP pointed out that “censorship and misinformation can be unhelpful”. Crucially, MAP stated that “media professionals Pink November 2019 ∫ 23

INFOCUS should not seek to hide facts. The public should be aware of the phenomenon rather than being left ignorant of the warning signs or where to seek help”.

The team running SPOT have all been trained internally on “safe talk”, a process on how to talk about suicide. “The training helped us to identify certain statements or words that could indicate a person was having suicidal thoughts, so we can then refer them for appropriate help. We support people to make them feel comfortable to talk about this. While we have been trained internally, we are open to train anyone who is interested to support the process of talking about suicide,” Amber continues.

“Talking about suicide does not make someone want to act upon it,” she emphasises. “This is key. There is a misconception that if I pick up that you are having suicidal thoughts and I ask you whether you are feeling suicidal, I might push you to do it.

This is incorrect. That is what makes people fearful of talking about suicide.”

Amber, together with the other core members of the SPOT team, psychotherapist Julianne Grima and counsellor Karl Grech, received specialist training in the UK under the guidance of Pete’s Dragons, a British charity that supports those who have lost someone to suicide. This led to the launch of SPOT in Malta and the creation of a new role – Suicide Liaison Officer.

The team also includes Krista Tabone, director of Victim Support Malta, family therapist Jeanella Ebejer, psychiatrist Anthony Zahra and clinical psychologist Nayla Cherfaine. They are also supported by 15 trainee therapists, who work on a voluntary basis.

On the couch with her team: Julianne Grima, Karl Grech and Krista Tabone.

“STATISTICS SHOW THAT SOMEONE WHO HAS ATTEMPTED SUICIDE IS LIKELY TO TRY AGAIN, SO WE TRY TO PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING. WE HAVE CLIENTS WHO HAVE MADE MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS AND WE SUPPORT THEM SO THEY DO NOT REACH THAT STAGE AGAIN” “Our focus is on supporting families who have been bereaved by suicide as well as individuals who have had a suicidal attempt at least six months prior or a plan in motion. While we would love to support all individuals, it is important to note that we are not a crisis intervention team,” Amber points out.

Suicide has a ripple effect on relatives and friends.

Families who have lost someone to suicide require particular support. Amber explains how they feel isolated in their grief. They also tend to blame themselves, wondering how they could not have realised that their relative was 24 ∫ Pink November 2019

feeling suicidal. Families thus withdraw, wallowing in guilt and shame.

“People feel so alone, and that is why we developed this service,” she continues. “We support individuals who have had an attempt or, in some cases, multiple attempts, at least six months prior. We would assume that in those six months before they reach out to us, they would have had other forms of help and are not still in crisis phase.

“Statistics show that someone who has attempted suicide is likely to try again, so we try to prevent that from happening. We have clients who have made multiple

INFOCUS

attempts and we support them so they do not reach that stage again. We help empower and strengthen them.

“Families who have lost someone to suicide are highly likely to feel suicidal themselves. Statistics have shown this, and we have experienced it too. We support families by helping them deal with grief and everything that comes with the loss of someone, and also to prevent it from happening to them.”

Help and support begin at the most basic level, where the SPOT team ensures that the persons in question are able to look after themselves, buy groceries, cook a meal, get out of bed and go to work. “When a person has lost someone to suicide and they are in that moment of grief, dealing with all that pain while also having to deal with legal and practical things, that is where we come in to support them. We ask them: Are you eating? Do you need someone to buy you food? Are you looking after yourself ?

When we feel that all their basic needs are met, we shift to the therapeutic phase,” Amber explains.

“I have clients who are chronically suicidal and I make sure they are going to work; that their children are being looked after. If they haven’t got enough money for food, I organise food donations. I help take away the little stresses from their life, which are big stresses for them, so they can focus on getting better.”

SPOT provides a comprehensive therapeutic package through its multidisciplinary team of psychotherapists, counsellors, a clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist. “We also include psychiatric referrals and clinical assessments,” Amber continues. “This enables us to provide individual therapy, family therapy, psychological evaluation, psychiatric assessment and referrals. Through this multidisciplinary team, we are able to customise our service to the individual or family needs and provide them with the support they require.”

Suicide affects everyone. MAP has ensured that its guidelines on reporting about suicide include recommendations on how journalists can support and help each other. Psychotherapists and counsellors themselves also feel the effects of dealing with such a sensitive and complex issue. “We all have regular supervision that supports us with any issues that may arise on a personal level because of the issues we deal with,” Amber adds.

“It has been a huge learning curve for us. We have some extremely difficult cases.

It can be challenging, heartbreaking and heartwarming. But what really made a difference is the fact that we are a close and supportive team. Certain stories do tend to touch you and we are aware of that. We check in on each other. The support is the most important thing here.

“It is a difficult area to work in,” Amber admits, “but at the same time, it can be extremely rewarding when you know you are helping a person in a way that they wouldn’t have been helped before.

“We are all human beings and you can never take away the human element. We all feel pain; some feel more pain than others because of life circumstances. But to be able to support somebody through something they feel they have to do alone… that is very rewarding. When you give someone a bit of hope, where they feel that there was none, that is rewarding too. Working in this field has been very humbling.”

SPOT can be contacted on 7706 8688. All services are offered free of charge thanks to the support of the Marigold Foundation.

Pink November 2019 ∫ 25

ARTYFACTS

RELEASING THE POWER OF THE ARTS

This year’s edition of the ŻiguŻajg International Arts Festival for Children and Young People has just ended.

Here, its coordinator, Stephanie Bonnici, reflects on the highlights, challenges and her career in the arts.

S

tephanie Bonnici is no newcomer to rolling up her sleeves to bring ŻiguŻajg to fruition. She’s learned a lot in a relatively short time and now looks ahead in her pursuit of impactful productions in the local arts scene.

How would you describe this year’s ŻiguŻajg? It was vibrant! This year, we

focused on holistically improving the experience. The events programme aside, our festival assistants received better training; we gave our website a fresh look; and we also had an enticing Delegates’ Programme for our peers in the creative industries.

How do you go about tackling ŻiguŻajg’s topical issues? First and

foremost, the festival director guides us.

As the festival coordinator, I ensure the topics are treated with sensitivity and 28 ∫ Pink November 2019

communicated to our audiences in the best possible manner.

This year, I was proud to be supporting our artists with the creation of resource packs, which contained show-related information and activities. The aim was to better support educators and parents before and after their festival visit. It’s been rewarding to see artists reflect deeply on the project they’ve developed.

What did you do as festival coordinator?

I’m like a spider sitting in the centre of its web! I bring together the festival’s different elements and ensure they run smoothly and coherently. This includes the programme, its production, technical elements, our communications strategy and audience development, staff engagement, venue selection, finances… the list is endless! But it would all be impossible without the superb Fondazzjoni Kreattività team.

What were this year’s highlights and challenges? Communicating big ideas to

audiences is a challenge. Teachers have a considerable responsibility regarding the content they present to their students, and parents might not have spoken to their children about particular realities. So, among the enthusiasm, we also encounter hesitation about certain topics.

This year, I was thrilled to have provided complimentary tickets to marginalised communities, who would otherwise not have visited ŻiguŻajg.

And we have also launched the ŻiguŻajg Season, thereby extending the experience throughout the year.

What convinced you to take on the role? I was assigned the festival when

I became programme coordinator at Spazju Kreattiv. For me, it’s special because we contribute to the impact that the arts have in shaping young peoples’

THINKPINK lives. Of course, this is a significant responsibility, which I always remind myself and my colleagues about.

Why have you made the arts your career, and what are you most proud of? I’ve

always been an intuitive person. I’m interested in people, societies and everything that shapes how humanity evolves. The arts have taught me to be open to new ideas, new ways of thinking and the many realities that surround us.

I’m proud whenever things fall into place!

In those moments, you realise that a minor decision you made – or an idea you pushed for – triggered ripples that affected the entire event. It’s very satisfying.

What gets your creativity flowing?

Travelling – it helps me to slow down and appreciate new places and cultures. And if I’m travelling for work, I can take a step back from routine, reflect on work processes and the way I do things, and learn new ways of doing them.

“I’VE ALWAYS BEEN AN INTUITIVE PERSON. I’M INTERESTED IN PEOPLE, SOCIETIES AND EVERYTHING THAT SHAPES HOW HUMANITY EVOLVES”

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In the arts, senior roles tend to be held by men.

What’s it like to be a woman in this field? Locally,

I constantly meet women in the creative industries.

But we lack women in prominent, decision-making positions. I question whether there’s enough awareness of the importance of giving women’s voices space. And I think women still feel expectations regarding their priorities in society.

Setting aside the arts, we need to speak about gender equity rather than equality to ensure that every individual – regardless of gender – is supported in achieving great things.

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Any advice for other women working in the arts?

This work is thrilling and challenging. But it’s easy to get caught up in the chaos and move from one project to the next without any reflection. Always take the time to pat yourself on the back and acknowledge what you’ve achieved against all odds.

Self-congratulation is as important as resilience and determination.

Finally, what’s next for you? For ŻiguŻajg’s 10th year,

I’m responsible for handing over to a new team. And I’ll also be getting the ball rolling on some personal projects I’ve had on the back burner for a while!

Pink November 2019 ∫ 29

A NEW WOMAN

Zelda Fitzgerald was the model and symbol of everything the 1920s stood for. But it wasn’t just about being young, famous, dissolute, uninhibited, always in search of fun and a little bit ‘crazy’. MARY GALEA DEBONO finds the ‘flapper’ had to contend with serious mental health issues too.

I

n the Western world, the 1920s were years of wide-ranging changes in art, culture and lifestyles in part due to greater economic stability after the ravages of World War I. Surrealism in the visual arts and literature, art deco and jazz, together with shorter skirts and drop waists in women’s clothes to allow for more freedom of movement, are a few of the signs of the time.

It was a decade that witnessed an increased awareness of women’s issues; one of the battles they won was the right to vote. In the process of fighting for their rights, women also shed many of their inhibitions and a New Woman emerged; one who was aware that she was the promoter, the protagonist and, ultimately, the beneficiary of this change.

The spirit of this decade was captured by Ernest Hemingway in

32 ∫ Pink November 2019

his posthumously published memoir, A Moveable Feast – a series of vignettes about life in Paris during the Années folles as the French chose to refer to these years. Among the American expatriates living there during this decade was Scott Fitzgerald – author of The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise – and his wife Zelda. Young, famous, dissolute, uninhibited, always in search of fun, Scott and his wife created an aura around them. They not only represented the hedonistic code, but actively sought to promote an image that was calculated to shock.

Zelda was the standard model and symbol of everything this decade stood for. She was a ‘flapper’ – a term used to describe the quintessential 1920s woman. Years later, a journalist of The New York Post, reviewing her exhibition of paintings, was still referring to her as “The Priestess of the Jazz Age”.

Although Hemingway had a great admiration for Fitzgerald and his writing, he was less enthusiastic about his wife.

For him, Zelda was “crazy”, and he was not the only one to think so. Another American writer, John Dos Passos, who in the 1920s was part of the American colony in Paris, after meeting her, wrote: “Everything about her was very original and amazing, but there was also this little strange streak. Whatever she had said was completely off track, it was like peering into a dark abyss.”

Zelda was born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1900. Even as a child, she showed the traits that were to remain the hallmark of her personality. Sure of herself and independent; lively and fun-loving; fearless and daring, but also self-centred and, as she herself later admitted, without moral principles, it does not seem that there was anybody willing, or at least disposed, to rein her in.

Her mother was reluctant to admit there was anything wrong in her daughter’s behaviour and was always ready to find excuses for her misconduct. Her father, a judge of the Supreme Court of Alabama, was a conservative man and a model of respectability, but a solitary person, totally distant in his attitude towards his children. Even at school, which Zelda did not like, the teachers found her restless and difficult to discipline.

Her behaviour went beyond what was considered proper by the standards of the time; to the other girls of the same age and social class, it seemed there was no limit to the freedom she enjoyed. She did as she pleased; she smoked; she drank; she partied and

“HER BEHAVIOUR WENT BEYOND WHAT WAS CONSIDERED PROPER BY THE STANDARDS OF THE TIME; TO THE OTHER GIRLS OF THE SAME AGE AND SOCIAL CLASS, IT SEEMED THERE WAS NO LIMIT TO THE FREEDOM SHE ENJOYED. SHE DID AS SHE PLEASED; SHE SMOKED; SHE DRANK; SHE PARTIED AND DANCED ALL NIGHT; SHE DATED A LONG LIST OF YOUNG MEN WITH WHOM SHE BELIEVED SHE WAS IN LOVE”

WOMANKIND danced all night; she dated a long list of young men with whom she believed she was in love. By flouting all the conventions of a conservative society in this southern state of the US, she was also challenging her father’s authority.

Stories about her behaviour abounded.

In July 1918, Zelda met Scott at a country club; he was then a First Lieutenant in the 67th Infantry division stationed in the nearby camp. For Zelda, Scott, a very handsome man, had the added ‘attribute’ of coming from the North; for Scott, Zelda was totally different from the girls he had known.

The attraction was mutual. Their relationship was interrupted when Scott was sent to New York, presumably on his way to join the fighting forces in France.

But by the time he arrived in this city, the armistice had been signed and he never left the US.

believe in even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasn’t all that she should be…”

Zelda too changed her mind, and on April 3, 1920, they were married in the rectory of St Patrick’s Cathedral. The parents, who were not sure about the wisdom of this decision, did not attend the wedding.

Zelda had not had a good formal education, but she had a natural talent for expressing her thoughts in writing as can be seen in her many letters and in her diaries. Scott was to make ample use

“HER RELATIONSHIP WITH SCOTT DETERIORATED; PHYSICAL ESTRANGEMENT AND SCOTT’S EXCESSIVE DRINKING CONTRIBUTED TO EXACERBATE AN ALREADY DIFFICULT SITUATION AND THEIR FIGHTS BECAME VIOLENT. ONE DAY, IN A FIT OF ANGER, ZELDA THREW OUT OF THE TRAIN WINDOW HER DIAMOND AND PLATINUM WRISTWATCH”

F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald on their honeymoon in 1920.

Scott returned to Montgomery and proposed to Zelda, but she did not at first accept. Nancy Milford, who wrote her biography, believes that Zelda may have felt that at the basis of the proposal was failure; that “when everything … had failed him, his career and his writing, he turned to [her] with a proposal of immediate marriage made as much out of desperation as of love”.

Scott himself seems to have had some qualms about this decision especially because some of his friends had hinted that Zelda was not easy to live with. Yet in a letter to a friend, he confessed: “I fell in love with her sincerity and her flaming self-respect and it’s these things I’d

and opportunities for travel. When their daughter Scottie was born, it also meant they could afford to employ a nanny.

Zelda’s role as a mother left much to be desired and domesticity was anathema to her – visitors to their apartments invariably described them as unkept and disorderly. “Brimming over with life” she had very little to occupy her and not surprisingly boredom and restlessness set in.

To make up for her sense of unfulfillment, she embarked on a number of ‘projects’. In the summer of 1927, she

of these in his novels, sometimes lifting whole passages from them. But even more important for Scott as a writer was the fact that he was “absorbed in Zelda’s personality” and she became the inspiration of much of this fiction. The challenges their relationship posed were to provide him with many of the themes of his novels as in The Beautiful and the Damned, which explores the situations in a failed marriage. Zelda, it must be said, did the same thing in her book Save Me the Waltz, which she wrote and published years later.

Success as a novelist brought Scott not only fame but also fortune; the Fitzgeralds had a good standard of living

experimented with writing, proving she did not lack talent. Later, she took up ballet, although it was quite obvious that she did not have the right figure for a ballerina as she was far too tall, her legs were muscular and it was too late to embark on such a career. She also took up painting, and when all these dreams evaporated, she turned to religion. They were all attempts at filling the void within her and giving a meaning to her life, but none of them worked.

Her relationship with Scott deteriorated; physical estrangement and Scott’s excessive drinking contributed to exacerbate an already difficult situation and their fights became violent. One day, in a fit of anger, Zelda threw out of the train window her diamond and platinum wristwatch. Scott had given it to her at the beginning of their relationship and it had had sentimental value. On another similar occasion, while Scott was driving on the narrow and winding road of the Grande Corniche, she grabbed the steering wheel of the car and tried to steer it off the cliff.

Zelda’s health continued to deteriorate; she began having nightmares and heard noises. She was incoherent in her speech and carrying out a simple conversation became a problem. Very often, she appeared distracted and in a daze. Her friends realised there was something seriously wrong with her.

Pink November 2019 ∫ 33

WOMANKIND In April 1930, she entered a clinic where she spent 15 months. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Zelda’s life changed; it followed a pattern that alternated between periods of relative tranquility, when she could live almost normally, and periods of depression, when she became hysterical, withdrew within herself and had to be institutionalised. In her moments of lucidity, she continued to write, and although her thoughts as expressed in her writing often seemed illogical, she still showed a certain amount of talent.

Seeing this, her doctors encouraged her to jot down her thoughts instead of just talking about them to her psychiatrists.

During her long periods in hospital, Scott and Zelda would write long letters to each other in which they expressed their love and dependence on each other. Scott was half aware that his drinking may have had something to do with his wife’s condition, but he still acted the martyr; Zelda in her more lucid moments, knew that paying for her hospital fees

was crippling her husband, who had grave financial difficulties. Their writing was another source of friction; they were jealous of each other’s creative work.

Doctors and nurses realised that when Scott came to visit, the tension and fighting increased. Today, Zelda would have been diagnosed as being bipolar, but very little was then known about mental illnesses.

Concluding that visits from families upset the patients, medics discouraged frequent interactions. When Scott stayed away, Zelda felt even more isolated.

Because mental illnesses were not properly understood, there was a stigma attached to them, and this, together with the insensitivity generally shown towards such patients, often had a devastating effect on them.

One day, while Zelda was staying with her mother, one of her male friends offered to take her to an exhibition. On their way to town, they came across three 10-year-old children coming from the opposite direction. One of the girls

nudged her friend and whispered: “You see there, there’s that crazy woman mamma’s been telling us about.” Zelda who had been looking forward to the outing told her friend that she had changed her mind and wanted to go back home.

After Scott’s sudden death from a heart attack in 1940, Zelda, who lived with her mother when she was well, continued to write fragments of fiction that reveal her state of mind. In the beginning of 1948, after an earlier relapse, which had forced her to return to a clinic, Zelda wrote to her mother expressing her intention to return home. But it was not to be.

One of her last acts was a letter to Scottie, who, in 1943, had got married and had just had her second baby.

That same night, a fire broke out in the main building of the hospital; it shot up through the lift shaft and Zelda and all the patients whose room was on the top floor were burnt to death.

Her charred body was buried with Scott at Maryland; at last, she could rest in peace.

SHOWSTOPPER

SCREEN-SIREN STYLE WAITING IN THE WINGS OF THE PINK FASHION SHOW FOR SOME LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!

Photography Carlton Agius Styling Marisa Grima [marisagrima.com] Hair Alberto Spiteri @ Niumee Make-up Chirs Attard, using Guerlain Model Gabriella @ Supernova MM Location Rialto, Bormla Go behind the scenes and watch the making of the photo shoot on timesofmalta.com and Facebook @pinkmagazine

Dress, €143; shawl, €128.99, both Pedro del Hierro ∫ bag, €29.90, Darmanin Footwear ∫ necklace, stylist’s own.

38 ∫ Pink November 2019

SHOWSTOPPER

Dress, €89.99; gilet, €148.99; belt, €32.99, all Cortefiel ∫ shoes, €49.90, Darmanin Footwear.

Pink November 2019 ∫ 39

SHOWSTOPPER

Negligee, €38.99; dressing gown, €55.99, both Women’secret.

40 ∫ Pink November 2019

SHOWSTOPPER Dress, €69.99, Cortefiel ∫ boots, €69.90, Darmanin Footwear.

Pink November 2019 ∫ 41

SHOWSTOPPER

Necklace, €132.20; ring, €105; bracelet, €41, all Vascas.

42 ∫ Pink November 2019

SHOWSTOPPER

Dress, €95; bag, €20, both Marks & Spencer ∫ shoes, €49.90, Darmanin Footwear.

Pink November 2019 ∫ 43

SHOWSTOPPER

Dress, €250, Luke Azzopardi Ready to Wear ∫ shoes, €49.90, Darmanin Footwear.

44 ∫ Pink November 2019

SHOWSTOPPER

Dress, €89.90, Oasis ∫ bag, €29.90, Darmanin Footwear.

Pink November 2019 ∫ 45

FASHIONSTORY

A UNIQUE BRAND OF DRAMA

ANNA MARIE GALEA meets up with designer Luke Azzopardi in his Sliema studio to talk about the road to taking Nocturnal Artefacts to London and what the world can expect to see from his new ready-to-wear line. The brand has become loved and he wants to share it with more people. So, the diffusion line, which will be launched at The Pink Fashion Show on December 5, will be much more affordable, easier to wear and less ‘statementy’.

AS

someone who has been following Luke Azzopardi from his very first burst onto the local stage [and anyone who is well-acquainted with Luke’s work knows that the term burst is probably an understatement for the way he does things], it has been an interesting journey.

From his early costumes for Naupaca Dance Factory to his high-octane couture shows to his work for both ŻfinMalta and the Aurora Theatre, Luke never fails to bring his unique brand of drama. This year, his self-proclaimed hardest yet, he did not only earn himself a place in the highly coveted London Fashion Week, but he will also be launching his first ready-to-wear collection, which is sure to kick up a storm.

48 ∫ Pink November 2019

“I think I’ve always been attracted to death,” he states in his characteristic deadpan way, which has a habit of disarming those around him however well they know him.

“There is a beauty in decay and the temporal and temporary: an exquisiteness in the lack of permanence. When I was very young, I remember being drawn to the kind of curiosities and objects the Victorians used to love. I would collect dead butterflies and put them in albums. Although I am extremely anti-hunting, I think there is something deeply sublime about taxidermy and seeing a creature frozen forever in time.

“I had read this article about a police raid where they had found these gorgeous frozen birds and there were all these photos of these wet birds; I was struck by the duality they

FASHIONSTORY

The Nocturnal Artefacts campaign.

Photography: Charlotte Hadden

Luke Azzopardi at London Fashion Week.

Pink November 2019 ∫ 49

FASHIONSTORY The more ‘wearable’ designs from the Nocturnal Artefacts lookbook, on which the Luke Azzopardi Ready to Wear collection is based.

Photography: Simon Schmidt

encapsulated. They looked so extremely alive, but they were dead.”

It was perhaps for this reason that he was so drawn to the Nibbia Chapel, or Chapel of Bones, which was destroyed on Valentine’s Day of World War II, and decided to use it as a cornerstone for his Nocturnal Artefacts collection: “The Nibbia Chapel was literally a complex dedicated to death and then it ironically gets destroyed on Valentine’s Day. I was looking at the decorative plan and everything was in this late Gothic style, which, in theory, is so alien to our islands, and then you see the rib vaulting of the chapel decorated with actual ribs and you start thinking of architecture and the body.

“I like to think that my clothing is always empowering to the female form, but by using elements from the chapel that struck me, I was able to create this power play. We have forgotten how to use clothing as dialogue.”

It was possibly fortuitous if not eerie timing that Luke broke his hand and arm at the same time as this thought process was flourishing as it gave him further food for thought: “I remember looking at my cast and thinking how incredibly ugly it was and wishing it was more beautiful.

We all have these bodily exoskeletons, which are so 50 ∫ Pink November 2019

incredibly fragile. Again, I was taken back to the chapel and its buttresses providing the strongest support possible to these fragile walls and stained glass.

“In the end, I created 22 pieces using various blacks, purples and greens: just like the bruising on my broken arm.”

As he has done in the past couple of shows, Luke married his pieces with collaborations with other local artists to further bring his creations to life: “I simply loved the different accessories that both artist Kane Cali and new creative collective, bloc collective, came up with.

Cali’s neck and mouthpieces made for stunning additions to the clothes, and the corset bloc collective made, which was born out of our discussions about skeletal structures and gothic buttressing, added to the overall concept of the show.

“Philip Sultana took care of all the prints as usual, and there is simply no one who understands me more and can surpass his skill. I also had a lot of support from the Malta Arts Council, camilleriparismode, which has been there for me every single step of the way throughout my career, and the Malta Airport Foundation, which flew my entire team up to London.

FASHIONSTORY A sneak peek at the new Ready to Wear collection through Luke Azzopardi's sketches.

“QUALITY IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE TO ME AND I’VE ALWAYS FOCUSED ON COUTURE. HOWEVER, ONE MUST ALSO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT MANY PEOPLE CAN’T AFFORD COUTURE AND BESPOKE PIECES” “I have always felt that art should be about collaboration and I have been blessed with a lot of talented people.

I don’t know where I’d be without Matthew Attard Navarro, who managed the entire London show, and Becky Micallef and Andrew Borg Wirth, who manage everything on a day-to-day basis. It’s these people that have helped the Luke Azzopardi brand go to the next level.”

The next level he is speaking about is the launch of his ready-to-wear collection, something he is extremely excited about bringing to the public at The Pink Fashion Show on December 5: “There comes a point in every designer’s life where the studio needs to grow. I am in a daunting position because the more you flourish, the more people expect from you. Quality is of the utmost importance to me and I’ve always focused on couture.

However, one must also accept the fact that many people can’t afford couture and bespoke pieces.

“The brand has become loved and we want to share it with more people. The diffusion line will be much more 52 ∫ Pink November 2019

affordable, easier to wear and less ‘statementy’ and there will be sizes for everyone. We have also made sure that all our manufacturers are ethical because, for us, sustainability and luxury go hand in hand.

“Our first shop will be a pop-up shop and we are considering adopting it as a business model because, well, I am a nomad at heart, and I like the theatricality of being able to showcase the clothes wherever I please.

Ultimately, I want to have a conversation with my clients, but one which reflects me.”

Logistics aside, what are his feelings on what promises to be a new and exciting chapter? “I think, at the end of the day, the brand has grown with me. I have to wear a lot of hats every day, and while I am not one to ever say no to costume changes, running a company that is a reflection of you and all that you are has been far from easy. My aim has always been to create pieces of beauty and, well, make the world more aesthetically pleasing.

Is that too much to ask?”

BEAUTYPARLOUR

Chris Attard working on the ShowStopper photo shoot with model Gabriella Micallef.

Photography: Carlton Agius

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BEAUTYPARLOUR

BEHIND THE SCENES

MAUREEN SAGUNA meets make-up artist Chris Attard on the eve of The Pink Fashion Show to understand what it means to be a man in an industry that is perceived to be dominated by women. While he professes to have a passion for cosmetics, he also acknowledges that this can be taken too far, with the younger generations wanting that ill-suited Kardashian look at all costs.

C

hris Attard, three-time nominee for Best Make-up Artist at the Malta Fashion Awards, is unusually reserved for someone who works in an industry that is all about image. In fact, he enjoys the relative anonymity of working backstage and cringes at the prospect of walking down the red carpet when the occasion calls for it.

When he isn’t working with designers to bring their vision to the runway or magazines, he can be found teaching the staff at Franks – The Art of Living Beautiful, or working on the floor at one of their shops, showing customers how best to apply their make-up.

But once he puts his brushes away, all his time is devoted to his wife and son, with whom he loves to watch movies, or entertain friends and family at home.

Although he is well-known in local beauty circles, Chris is something of an anomaly. “People think it’s strange that a married guy in his 40s is into make-up. I get the same reactions as my friend, who is female and petite, gets for being a police officer,” he says.

So, what drew him to an industry that would seem to be dominated by women? Chris explains that, as a child, he loved drawing, and this seems to be an interest his 11-year-old son has inherited. In the case of Chris,

“HE WOULD DRAW EYESHADOW AND MAKE-UP ON THE FACES OF PEOPLE FEATURED IN HIS PARENTS’ COPIES OF GWIDA MAGAZINE” he would go further and draw eyeshadow and make-up on the faces of people featured in his parents’ copies of Gwida magazine.

He also mentions being mesmerised by his mother, who passed away tragically when he was only 16 and who influenced his later choices: “I remember observing her

as she applied her make-up carefully, paying attention to detail.”

Art might have always been in Chris’s blood, but his first encounter with make-up artistry was unexpected. One winter day, about 20 years ago, a friend who was already an established make-up artist, asked him to help her backstage, applying Pink November 2019 ∫ 55

BEAUTYPARLOUR foundation on the cast of a musical.

He was 21 at the time and, although he had always been fascinated by her work, he was working as a bartender.

He agreed to help her… and that was only his first brush with what would become a lifelong obsession.

Shortly after the musical, he met another friend who happened to work at Franks Perfumery and who told him that the chain wanted to have more of a male presence in their shops. It only took four days for Chris to leave his bartending job and move to Franks, where he still works to this day.

Nine years after his change in career, he was asked to work as a make-up artist on the popular TV show Tista’ Tkun Int, where he spent a year and which he describes as a sort of baptism of fire. “That was a kind of training for me. I was used to working in a retail environment, where I could take my time. This was fast-paced, and it prepared me for work at fashion shows.”

The show opened more doors and his freelance career took off, but he attributes his growing success to his wife. “She was, and still is, my biggest supporter. She is the one who always pushes me to do more,” he says, adding that it is usually thanks to her that he takes on new challenges. Although she works in finance and spends her days crunching numbers, his wife also assists him occasionally, usually taking care of clients with mature skin. “This,” he assures, “is the most challenging skin to work with. She is really good at it!”

So, had he ever experienced any prejudice for being a man in a traditionally female job? Chris calmly replies that there have been instances where customers preferred being helped by a woman, sometimes muttering: “Dan fejn jifhem?” [What would he know?]; and that many assume that he is gay. He is fine with both assumptions, adding that if a customer feels more comfortable being sold make-up by a female colleague, then he just steps aside.

However, there are other assumptions he believes can be harmful and that he is keen on addressing. Chris says people assume make-up is only used by women and gay men, but so many straight men take grooming more seriously than 56 ∫ Pink November 2019

women: “They shape their eyebrows till they’re perfect, they do skin peels, laser their whole body… and yet they don’t get ridiculed. Why should a young man who wants to wear makeup be discriminated against?”

A few months ago, he relates, a young colleague of his – a 16-year-old boy, who loves to wear make-up but often feels judged for wanting to – was having a bad day at work. Chris decided to apply full make-up on him to cheer him up. The boy was so happy he burst into tears.

He says it is not unusual for his young colleague to be stared at and commented about when he wears

make-up that is more conspicuous, and he finds this unacceptable. He believes that nobody should be discriminated against for the way they choose to look, no matter their gender, and that make-up should not be used as an excuse to taunt or harass others.

It seems that, for a country that has a reputation for defending the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, many Maltese still struggle to embrace diversity.

Another issue for Chris is the high expectations of the younger generations – something that is not helped by their exposure to social media. It is not unusual for young

BEAUTYPARLOUR “IT IS NOT UNUSUAL FOR YOUNG BRIDES TO SHOW UP WITH PHOTOS OF KIM KARDASHIAN, FOR EXAMPLE, AND EXPECT HIM TO MAKE THEM LOOK LIKE HER, EVEN IF THEY LOOK COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. THERE ARE ALSO THOSE WHO INSIST ON VERY DRAMATIC MAKE-UP, MORE SUITED TO FASHION SHOWS THAN WEDDINGS” brides to show up with photos of Kim Kardashian, for example, and expect him to make them look like her, even if they look completely different. There are also those who insist on very dramatic make-up, more suited to fashion shows than weddings.

“Unfortunately, young people today want to look like they’re on a magazine on their wedding day. I do glamour make-up, but I’m not interested in changing the way someone looks; I want to enhance their natural beauty.”

For this, Chris also blames many of the glossy magazines and influential companies, and wishes they would use ‘normal’ people as models. “Why do models always have to have perfect faces? Why can’t we have models who are not only curvy, but also overweight and not perfectly proportioned?”

Although he admits that publications rely on sponsors, who may not support this vision, he strongly believes that we should also see models with problem and mature skin, acne and scars, because most customers don’t look like the women we see on covers.

Although it may look like a make-up artist’s life is all about glamour and fun, it also requires an empathetic nature and a good dose of patience. Chris says that when things don’t go according to plan, it is also up to him to put his clients at ease, like the time a bride broke down when she was informed that her wedding venue was flooded after a storm. Weddings also bring him in touch with people from all walks of life. He has been to homes reeking of cat excrement; and he will never forget the time a male relative of his client made him feel threatened.

Still, Chris sees his job as a sort of mission: “My biggest reward is seeing the look of satisfaction on my clients’ faces. To me, every person is special. I treat everyone the same, whether they are the bride, bridesmaid, a celebrity, or whoever they are.”

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When asked what advice he would give to those interested in being make-up artists, Chris says: “If you have a passion for makeup, just do it! You don’t need to have your name printed in magazines to do this job. There are make-up artists in Malta who are much better than I am at what they do, but what counts is that we all love it. I believe you should enjoy what you do and ignore what’s around you.”

THE SHOWSTOPPER LOOK This month’s ShowStopper photo shoot sets the scene for The Pink Fashion Show on December 5, located in a disused cinema and inspiring the screen siren look from the 1950s, which the Rialto in Bormla dates back to.

For this, Chris drew inspiration from the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1950s and the famous actresses of that period, including Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe.

To achieve this image, he used Guerlain make-up to create a chic and elegant look, with rich and intense red lips, strong wing liner and pale skin.

See the look on page 38.

INTHEPINK

IS STRONG THE NEW SKINNY? Or just another obsession? Replacing the ‘dream’ skeletal look with an equally unobtainable must-have six pack might be just as damaging for women’s self-esteem, HELEN RAINE finds. With more and more women ‘addicted’ to exercise, she explores the pros and cons, and how one obsession can replace another. Just like media images that promote thinness, seeing muscular women can also lead to a negative mood and decreased body satisfaction. Here’s to the happy medium.

W

herever you look, ‘strong’ is taking on ‘skinny’ in the media, with ripped abs outdoing jutting collar bones in everything from adverts to catwalks.

But before we all sign up for the gym, it’s worth pondering whether this kind of ‘strong’ is really what we women want in our lives. Replacing the ‘dream’ skeletal look with an equally unobtainable must-have six pack might be just as damaging for women’s self-esteem.

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The book Strong is the New Skinny: How to Eat, Live, and Move to Maximise Your Power, by Jennifer Cohen, is a good place to start thinking about this conundrum. The title sounds reasonable – eating well and getting fit are great goals. The trouble is that while the authors might tell us that the book is all about ‘what your body can do’ rather than ‘how it looks’, that message is entirely undermined by the image on the cover.

It depicts a sexy, muscly woman, with her thumbs hooked in the waist

band of her ultra-tight yoga pants in an overtly come-hither gesture.

The promotional blurb is heavy on ‘torching fat’ and ‘adding muscle’, but there’s no mention of the word ‘healthy’, much less ‘happy’. Instead the mantra is GO HARD OR GO HOME [in capitals no less].

This follows an increasing trend on social media, where people post pictures of fit women along with messages that make lesser mortals feel guilty or lazy for not working out hard, such as ‘pull ups now, or pull it

INTHEPINK muscular women can lead to a negative mood and decreased body satisfaction.”

There are several possible reasons for that. The first is that the ‘fit ideal’ can be as difficult for an average woman to achieve as being thin. As long as you are healthy, saddle bags, bingo wings or other ‘imperfections’ should not matter. However, as Dr Jessica Alleva explains in Psychology Today: “the fit ideal is portrayed as healthy and achievable”; consequently, we are even more likely to feel guilty if we don’t look like that.

karate and climbing. “It gives me peace, a social life and something that lets me escape from my complicated world,” she says, adding that she suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

The campaign also features Sue, 67, who is a cold-water swimmer; Lizon, a curvaceous 26-year-old who likes Zumba dancing; and Fakhira, who kickboxes wearing a hijab. None of these women will be modelling for Shape Magazine anytime soon, but they do look like the kind of people you’d want to work out with. Next

“EMBRACE YOUR SHAPE – BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT’S REALLY ATTRACTIVE? WOMEN WHO LOVE THEMSELVES, JIGGLES AND ALL”

in later’. The pictures might purport to be about healthy living, but they are actually focused primarily on appearance.

It seems that this is just as dangerous psychologically for women as exhorting them to be skinny, if not worse. Frances Bozsik from the University of Missouri says: “Studies have examined the impact of viewing thin and toned bodies and have found that they have a negative impact on the body image of female viewers. Just like the previous studies on media images that promote thinness, seeing thin,

Another issue is that the women in fitness magazines tend to be like the cover girl on Cohen’s book; young, white, thin, fit and able bodied. If you are brown skinned, or a little chubby, you don’t fit into those categories and it’s easy to feel that your body is somehow lacking. And disturbingly, some of the women in these pictures have so little body fat, they’ve managed to combine ‘thinspo’ [images that inspire the anorexic community online] with ‘fitspo’ [ditto for the exercise addicts].

So, it’s time for a push back.

Sport England has been promoting an altogether different look for its fitness campaign and the results are genuinely inspirational. The website thisgirlcan.co.uk is a “celebration of active women who are doing their thing no matter how well they do it, how they look or even how red their face gets”. The women who feature are every possible shape, size, race and religion, but they have one thing in common – they are moving their bodies and having fun.

The site includes lots of stories that will resonate. Anoushe, for example, enjoyed being physically active, but she hated PE at school. “I was almost always the last one to be picked for any team sport. That made me feel quite isolated,” she says. It’s a common sensation and one that can put people off sport for good. But being rubbish at team games like netball doesn’t mean that fitness has no place in your life. Anoushe eventually discovered

to their stories are inspirational ideas of how to get active from playing badminton and angling, to disability sailing and quidditch.

It’s the videos on You Tube that will really get you going though [This Girl Can and This Girl Can is Back]. They are like a breath of fresh air, showing normal women jogging, dancing, sweating, gasping and having a bloody good time. They make you want to jump off the couch and run around outside just because you can.

Seriously, if you are worried about being laughed at or stared at in the gym, go to these sites… They will open up a whole new world of fun fitness that totally translates to life in Malta.

These images feed right back into Alleva’s research, which shows that “focusing on the functionality of one’s own body can lead to a more positive body image”. Instead of worrying about whether we can reach some impossible ideal [thin, strong, big booty-ed or whatever the next fad is], we need to key in on the way our bodies serve us. They carry us around all day and, for most people, allow us to do what we want in life.

Our bodies are complex, sensitive yet robust machines – it’s so important for us to cherish that and to provide physical balance through good food, exercise, water and sleep.

So, embrace your shape – because you know what’s really attractive?

Women who love themselves, jiggles and all.

Pink November 2019 ∫ 63

RELATIONTIPS

SOCIAL SUICIDE HELEN RAINE looks out for worrying signs of suicide on social media and asks: what exactly is this technology doing to us and our children?

F

acebook launched in 2004. All these years later, it has almost 2.5 billion users; a third of the planet uses it regularly. The nature of Facebook’s business – social connections – means that the company is uniquely placed to engineer profound societal change.

So, when a former executive describes feeling ‘tremendous guilt’ over his involvement in recruiting new users, a study links teen suicide to social networking, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg ends up before congress over misuse of data, we need to ask ourselves: what is this technology doing to us and our children?

ERODING OUR CORE Chamath Palihapitiya was vice-president for user growth at Facebook until 2011.

He told a Stanford Business School event that the tools he helped to create are “ripping apart the social fabric of how society works” by “eroding the core foundations of how people behave … between each other”. Palihapitiya railed against the “short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops” that users experience through ‘likes’ and ‘comments’. He also criticised the lack of “civil discourse… misinformation [and] mistruth”.

His comments came hot on the heels of founder Sean Parker’s criticism of how the company “exploit[s] a vulnerability in human psychology” by creating a “social-validation feedback loop”.

Both men indicated they no longer use social media. Palihapitiya said: “I can’t control them [but] I can control my decision, which is that I don’t use that s**t. I can control my kids’ decisions, which is that they’re not allowed to use that s**t.” And even more alarmingly, he continues: “You don’t realise it, but you are being programmed. It was

unfounded. A study by researchers at Nottingham Trent University concluded that “it may be plausible to speak … of ‘Facebook Addiction Disorder’… because addiction criteria, such as neglect of personal life, mental preoccupation, escapism … and concealing the addictive behaviour, appear to be present in some people who use social networking sites excessively”.

The study cites an example of a mother who fails to help her daughter with her homework because “I’m an addict. I just get lost in Facebook”.

“THE STUDY CITES AN EXAMPLE OF A MOTHER WHO FAILS TO HELP HER DAUGHTER WITH HER HOMEWORK BECAUSE ‘I’M AN ADDICT. I JUST GET LOST IN FACEBOOK’” unintentional, but now you’ve got to decide how much you’re going to give up, how much of your intellectual independence.” The Cambridge Analytica scandal, where personal data on Facebook users was secretly harvested and misused, also shows how vulnerable our information is in Facebook’s hands.

NOT JUST A FAD There is increasing evidence to suggest that Palihapitiya’s concerns are not

Another obvious addiction signal is that people can’t give it up. The Nottingham study noted that addicted users might experience withdrawal symptoms and relapse after a period of abstinence. But many users don’t need a study to tell them that; they already know that checking their Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts is something of a compulsion. There aren’t many people who can swear that social media hasn’t reduced their Pink November 2019 ∫ 65

RELATIONTIPS productivity at work, or that they never find themselves ignoring people in the real world while scrolling through their virtual friend feed.

HAPPY FACE FAKE So, we’re hooked… but like any addiction, it doesn’t make us happy.

In a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers investigated the physical health, mental well-being and body mass index of Facebook users. They found that while face-to-face social interactions enhanced well-being, “the use of Facebook was negatively associated with well-being”.

Similar studies covering 11 social media sites [including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, You Tube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Vine, Snapchat and Reddit] linked social media use to greater feelings of social isolation. People who spent the most amount of time on the sites felt the most socially isolated [even when they weren’t].

FEAR OF MISSING OUT That perception of isolation is linked to a ‘fear of missing out’ and it can be particularly pernicious for people who are experiencing challenges in their lives. For example, if you are stuck at home with a newborn, it might be actively painful to see pictures of friends meeting up and having a grand old time without you. The same goes for someone suffering from an illness, or injury.

But even the hale and hearty can feel hard done by when browsing. We all know that few people post pictures of themselves looking miserable and alone – our social media feeds tend to feature an idealised version of our lives – but even so, the power of that imagery to make us feel inadequate, depressed and downright jealous cannot be overemphasised and is only just beginning to be understood.

Dr Margaret Duffy of the University of Missouri has studied how Facebook usage can trigger feelings of jealousy.

She told Science Daily that “Facebook can be a very positive resource for many people, but if it is used as a way to size up one’s own accomplishments against others, it can have a negative effect”.

66 ∫ Pink November 2019

Those who suffered the greatest impacts were ‘surveillance users’, who lurk on the feed without posting anything themselves. These results were backed up by a German study, which found that the site creates a “basis for social comparison and envy on an unprecedented scale”.

hopeless, or suicidal increased by four per cent from 2009 to 2015.

Experts caution that the evidence is still preliminary. However, the message for parents is clear; monitoring and limiting the use of smartphones and social media is likely to be very important for teen mental health.

SCREENAGE SUICIDE Despite the apparent mental health risks, non-profit Common Sense Media says teen girls in the US average around 1.32 hours of social media use daily, with boys spending around 0.52 hours.

Evidence is starting to emerge that this behaviour might correlate with a rise in teenage suicide, especially among girls.

BUG FIXES The social media giants have been working on how to lessen the negative impacts of their technology, as well as using artificial intelligence to pick up on users who are at risk. After a user posted a suicide note to Tumblr before killing herself, the company initiated a form to help users flag suicidal content; Twitter has a similar system.

“THE POWER OF THAT IMAGERY TO MAKE US FEEL INADEQUATE, DEPRESSED AND DOWNRIGHT JEALOUS CANNOT BE OVEREMPHASISED AND IS ONLY JUST BEGINNING TO BE UNDERSTOOD” The Centre for Disease Control [CDC] says that after a decade of falling suicide numbers in the US, the decline has reversed. From 2007 to 2015, male suicide rates among 15- to 19-year-olds increased by 31 per cent. The rate for females aged 15 to 19 doubled from 2007 to 2015. Those years correspond to the meteoric rise in social media use.

The World Health Organisation reports that suicide is now the leading killer of teenage girls worldwide.

Of course, correlation does not imply causation – suicide is extremely complex and not dictated by a single factor, and there have been economic and political challenges over the same period. But the growing trend has experts worried.

In a study by Dr Jean Twenge, published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science, half a million teens aged 13 to 18 were asked about their use of electronic devices, as well as their mental health. Questions included frequency of feeling hopeless and considering, or attempting, suicide. Key findings were that teenagers who used smartphones for at least five hours daily were 70 per cent more likely to have suicidal thoughts and actions than those who only clocked one hour; and that the number of teens feeling sad,

In the US, Facebook’s “proactive detection” will scan posts for patterns of suicidal thoughts and flag them to moderators who can send help. They can also send information about suicide helplines to users. However, due to privacy concerns, this technology is not being rolled out in Europe.

PACK IN THE PERFECTION The Malta Independent reports that 302 people committed suicide since the beginning of 2005 in Malta, with 2015 being the worst year [36 deaths]. Malta ranks 148th out of 183 countries in the WHO suicide statistics, suggesting that the Maltese are insulated from some of the trigger factors; nevertheless, an uptick in suicide deaths is distressing in such a small country.

As social media use continues to boom on the island, it’s important for everyone to be aware of the potential negative impacts, particularly on children. And with Russian interference into the US election investigated, Facebook’s role in society should remain under scrutiny.

So, before you log on to your favourite social networking site, take a moment to think about what it’s really bringing you and how readily you could give it up.

RELATIONTIPS

RECOGNISING SUICIDE SIGNS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

“WE CURATE OUR LIVES AROUND THIS PERCEIVED SENSE OF PERFECTION, BECAUSE WE GET REWARDED IN THESE SHORT-TERM SIGNALS — HEARTS, LIKES, THUMBS UP — AND WE CONFLATE THAT WITH VALUE AND … TRUTH. AND INSTEAD, WHAT IT IS, IS FAKE, BRITTLE POPULARITY THAT’S SHORT TERM AND LEAVES YOU EVEN MORE, ADMIT IT, VACANT AND EMPTY THAN BEFORE YOU DID IT” Palihapitiya said the potential for evil was apparent to him and others within Facebook.

“In the back, deep, deep recesses of our mind, we kind of knew something bad could happen,” he said.

“Bad actors can now manipulate large swathes of people to do anything you want. And we compound the problem. We curate our lives around this perceived sense of perfection, because we get rewarded in these short-term signals – hearts, likes, thumbs up – and we conflate that with value and … truth. And instead, what it is, is fake, brittle popularity that’s short term and leaves you even more, admit it, vacant and empty than before you did it … Think about that, compounded by two billion people.”

It’s important that parents and friends look out for worrying signs of suicide on social media. An analysis of 1,400 military deaths in the US, half by suicide, found that social media posts reliably indicated the risks of people taking their own lives. The mental health NGO livelovelaughfoundation.com says that the following signs need to be taken seriously: 1) Intense and urgent emotional despair, guilt, shame, or feeling trapped Posts might include phrases like: “I can’t take the pain anymore”; “there’s no way out”; or “I’m so sorry for the trouble I’ve caused”.

2) Talking about suicide, or wanting to die People might say: “I want out”; “everyone would be better without me”; or “there’s no reason to live”.

3) Anger, or revenge “She/he will be sorry”; or “I’ll show you all” are examples.

4) Saying goodbye Users might offer their personal possessions to others, and say things like: “You won’t have to worry about me anymore”; and “I’ll miss you all”.

5) Glamourising death and enquiring how to get suicide aids Posts such as “death is beautiful” and asking about pills are serious red flags.

If you see these signs, or are feeling that way, there are several places to find help. Agenzija Appogg has the 179 Supportline and Crisis Resolution Malta can be reached on 9933 9966. There’s also Kellimni.com, an anonymous online chat service for youths. Concerned family and friends can also reach out by sending a personal message, visiting and calling, although it’s also important to involve professionals. This is not the time to ‘mind your own business’.

Pink November 2019 ∫ 67

PINKPROMO

A PIECE OF CLUB CULTURE

Ballantine’s launches The Clubs Collection in ultimate celebration of true music.

B

allantine’s Scotch whisky is proudly unveiling The Clubs Collection, the latest release in the annual True Music Series limited editions that this year pays tribute to the spiritual home of True Music – nightclubs.

Created in partnership with four of the world’s most pioneering clubs, the limited-edition designs feature artwork that visually embodies each club’s iconic sound, spirit and story. The collection includes Sub Club, the world’s longest running underground dance club; The Gärten, Middle East’s one-of-a-kind pyramid club; Apolo x Nitsa, Barcelona’s legendary techno and house nightclub housed in an old theatre; and the now closed beacon for house and techno in Brooklyn, Output.

Created as a celebration of the legendary venues, the limited-edition artworks feature on Ballantine’s Finest bottles, and take inspiration from design features synonymous with each club. From Sub Club’s iconic blue and white dazzle door and Apolo x Nitsa’s stunning circular theatre lighting, to Output’s vast concrete exterior and The Gärten’s neon pyramid that

lights up the Beirut city skyline, the limited editions feature striking designs, embossed with each club’s signature aesthetic features that make them the ultimate collector’s item for True Music fans all over the world.

The Clubs Collection is part of Ballantine’s commitment to Take a Stand for True Music by protecting, promoting and progressing music that matters. They form part of the annual True Music Series of limited editions created in partnership with leading musicians, artists and promoters from music communities around the world, giving them a blank canvas to tell their story and drive their scene forward.

The Clubs Collection is now available at selected whisky retailers and on trade venues. Ballantine’s is marketed and distributed by Farsons Beverage Imports Co. Ltd. For trade enquiries, call on 2381 4400.

SNAPSHOT

Photography Bernard Polidano

All that jazz - abex, ANNA MARIE GALEA speaks – oss tal-Gh On the eve of the launch of her second album Il-H to local jazz superstar Nadine Axisa about what inspired a project that has re-imagined existing local compositions from the 1970s and 1980s – a vehicle for experimentation to create an interesting, cutting-edge sound in the local jazz scene.

H

ow long have you been in the music industry? I have

been contributing to the local music scene since the age of 15. However, I discovered my love for jazz when I started performing at various clubs and events. In 2003, I ventured into the American standards and jazz scene. My first project that same year was with local musicians, where I contributed to the successful concert and album launch of The Beatles Works, interpreting songs by the famous fab four, arranged in a jazzy style. This was a project led by Vinny Vella Jnr.

Do you still feel as inspired as you did when you first started singing?

Yes, and sometimes even more.

Learning more about music through the various projects I have contributed to and, at times, also led, gives me the energy and inspiration to continue making music and exploring new venues. Music also helps me on a personal level; it makes me feel more fulfilled and complete.

What’s your favourite music-related memory? There are various, but one

of the best is when my debut album, Velvet, received a four-star review on

the UK’s Jazz Journal. I also had a couple of performances abroad, including in Luxembourg and Poland, which I treasure mostly due to the very positive reaction of the audience.

What is it about jazz that you love so much? Its fluidity… The fact that

there is freedom to interpret a tune in a different manner, depending on the mood, the accompanying musicians, the venue, the audience etc… is something that I love. It’s not that this cannot be done with pop music, but jazz provides even more opportunities to do so.

Pink November 2019 ∫ 73

SNAPSHOT Who is your favourite local singer and why? There are a number of local singers I

consider very talented, so it is very hard to mention one in particular. However, I can mention a local band that I love and follow closely – Brodu. They are currently working on their third album, which I’m eagerly waiting for. Their melodies and lyrics just make me listen to their tunes on repeat. Two years ago, I had also covered one of their tracks Miegh-ek Immur, which is also available on You Tube.

If you could go back in time and live in any era, which would you choose?

It’s difficult to tell because, while I appreciate the commodities we enjoy at present, I would love to experience the less stressful life people had back in the 1980s, for example. I was born in the early 1980s and I do recall that we led a more hassle-free and laid-back life. Nowadays, society seems to have become more demanding, and this is taxing on our everyday lives.

In what ways will this second album differ from the first? My debut album

is more easy-listening jazz-oriented…

It was a great experience since it was a collaboration between several composers, authors and musicians, and the album consisted of original compositions. Also, most of the tracks were in English, with only one tune in Maltese, Gh-anja.

The new album is a reworking of Maltese compositions, mostly published in the 1970s and 1980s. It has a much more experimental and contemporary sound since, apart from the jazzy elements of improvisation, it also incorporates an element of electronic music, which gives it a fresh, modern sound. The tracks are all in Maltese and the album also includes one original composition by Joe Debono, who is also responsible for the arrangements.

This tune was composed based on a poem by Adrian Grima. It is a very particular track I’m particularly fond of. I would also like to give credit to David Vella, the sound engineer and producer of this album. It is so great to work with David; he is very creative and the mind behind all the innovative sounds this album features.

What is it about 1970s and 1980s music that inspired you to want to rework it? Originally, there wasn’t any

plan to feature songs from the 1970s and 1980s. I started listening to different 74 ∫ Pink November 2019

What would your perfect night in consist of? A good meal with someone

I enjoy chatting with and attending a gig/concert of one of my favourite artists/bands.

“THIS ALBUM HAS PROVIDED ME WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE NEW GROUND. I HOPE THAT THE LISTENERS WILL TAKE UP THIS JOURNEY WITH ME AND SHARE IT WITH THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS” tunes published in the past and recently by local bands and sharing with Joe those I thought had potential to be arranged in the concept we had in mind. Joe worked on those tunes that inspired him, and mostly by chance, we ended up using most of the tracks that were originally published during that period. It was, indeed, challenging to create a product that sounds contemporary, but at the same time retains essential elements of the original compositions.

What would you like listeners to take from your latest artistic journey?

This album has provided me with the opportunity to explore new ground. I hope that the listeners will take up this journey with me and share it with their family and friends.

If your house was on fire and you could only save one thing, what would it be?

My family photo album – so many beautiful memories.

If you could have dinner with one person alive or dead, who would it be?

Anyone of my favourite artists… maybe one of the greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, or Sarah Vaughan. Oh! Even the thought gives me goose bumps!

If you had an unlimited amount of money, what would you spend it on?

Doing something that could benefit society and well-being; investing in research that could help people in need.

–oss tal-Gh-abex, available as a CD and 12-inch Il-H vinyl, will be launched at a concert on November 30 and December 1 at Valletta Campus Theatre.