With over 40 exhibits and myriad satellite events, workshops and more, Malta Design Week returned this year with a significantly stronger edition.

Three Last Knights, by Chris Briffa Architects and SAW Ltd. Photo: Chris Briffa

Malta Design Week returned this past week for its second edition in an admirably bigger, more all-inclusive format – and with the added bonus of being held in the spectacular venue that is the newly-renovated Fort St Elmo in Valletta.

The official opening, which I was unable to attend, took place on Friday night and attracted over two thousand attendees. I visited on Saturday, in the late afternoon, and despite the awkward hour, the place was already packed.

It was encouraging to see a high number of families present, with young children taking an interest in the exhibits and asking questions about them. In fact, whereas the majority of the audience for the first edition consisted of industry people, this year I was happy to see a more diverse bunch attending.

The venue itself couldn’t have been better, both with respect to space and to ambience. Over 40 exhibitions were comfortably and conveniently spread across two levels on St Elmo’s majestic quadrangle. The historical aspect of the place added another angle of interest that complemented the design theme beautifully.

A case in point were the number of people on the lookout for the old graffiti that still adorn many of the walls of the fortifications. The anecdotes that are tied to different sections of the fort also captured the interest of visitors and, in some cases – such as Three Last Knights – served as springboard for inspiration.

On to the exhibits themselves. This year’s participants included an intriguing mix of industry professionals such as engineers, interior designers, graphic designers, commercial entrepreneurs and the like, as well as artists.

Most were of a very high standard, some more than others. This is a list of those that captured my attention, but there was a lot more to see.

Over 40 exhibitions were comfortably and conveniently spread across two levels

The exhibits were very tightly curated, with themes incorporating visual arts, interior decor that ranged from the avant-garde (Natural Stone Objects, show-casing concrete basins by R. Lautier were particularly fascinating) to the classically artistic (Loft’s stylised fabrics spring to mind), cleverly-targeted music and others that provided an experience to the non-visual senses, mainly touch and smell.

My personal highlight was Three Last Knights, by Chris Briffa Architects and SAW Ltd, greeting visitors immediately upon entry. The installation was created to complement the gorgeously-restored chapel; using a historic anecdote depicting the brutality of the Great Siege as inspiration, it calls out to the viewer and becomes one with its background.

Interior decor trivia freaks must have loved Miniatures, by Vitra. Presenting some 100 miniature replicas of some of the most iconic designer chairs, this exhibition was enchanting in the level of detail it presented. Most note­worthy were the Eames, a couple of Starcks, several Le Corbusiers and the Pantone replicas.

Malta’s underground system, which was created by Jonn Galea last year and became an instant viral hit, was also present. It would be cool to see the idea developed even further.

Travelling Alone in a Big Sack, by DissemiNation (a collective of six artists) was fascinating in the diversity of the approach of the individual artists towards the creation of a series of postcards.

Equally effective was Invisible Cities, a photographic interpretation of excerpts from Italo Calvino’s eponymous work by the Faculty of the Built Environment students. It was interesting to see the way some of Calvino’s more famous literary creations were re-imagined from an architectural point of view, the end result often quite dark.

Most notable were the inter-pretations by Andrea Zerafa of Eudoxia, Julian Vassallo’s Baucis and Paula Grech’s Zenobia.

The arts meet design

Photography was extremely well-represented at this year’s edition. Another idea that perhaps could have been developed more effectively by some of the participating artists was Defying Complacency. Some of the entries were both visually stunning and superbly spot on, while others – although still technically very valid – might have worked harder to reflect the chosen theme.

The room dedicated to Modernism in architecture by Edward Said was an eye-opener. I’ve never been fond of the style, finding its lines too harsh and unsubtle. However, it proved interesting to put certain buildings like the so-called Television House in Guardamangia in an architectural context.

Fashion was present thanks to the trio Sunskrit, Churpina and Pina, who each developed an haute couture outfit reflecting Malta’s past, present and future respectively.

The culmination of the week-long event itself was also a tribute to fashion, in the form of a show that brought together five designers and that was curated by Carina Camilleri.

The contemporary jewellery collection created by Paolo Giordanella as part of the Makers Mark exhibition also left its, ahem, mark. His collection, titled Ugly/Beautiful, elicited conflicting reactions thanks to several disturbingly realistic cockroaches fabricated in shiny silver. The natural repulsion elicited by the anatomically perfect works was balanced by the actual beauty of the material and the work itself.

Makers Mark is a foundation of artists who create contemporary pieces using traditional materials. The end result is often lovely, clear proof that our heritage can be effectively incorporated within a modern context.

One of the fun installations, by Big Exhibits, which pandered to the selfie and instagram era with a creative photomontage that make the person posing for the photo appear as though he is stepping into a fiery abyss.

It is good to see entries like this, which show the creativity and art do not necessarily mean pretentious and over-seriousness. Stessuscope, by JP Advertising, which also allowed visitors to take fun selfies, was equally fun.

And finally, the piece de resistance, Virdis Obscura. This is a crowd-funded installation by Matthew James Mercieca Design Architects set to mimic the geometrical lines of a fortification through a variety of shrubbery, culminating in a semi-hidden chill-out spot with benches that afforded visitors a short break from the hubbub.

Besides the exhibits, this year’s Malta Design Week once again included a number of talks and presentations by international and local names. I was pleased to see a good mix between those who are well-established, and more up-and-coming faces.

The inclusion of four satellite exhibitions that took place in locations other than St Elmo was also a good idea, and served to give Malta Design Week a wider reach.

Including Pjazza Teatru Rjal as the location for Norbert Attard’s exhibits was particularly effective in the targeting of an audience that might not, otherwise, have been exposed to any of the events.

It was good to see that even the food area – discreetly tucked in a secluded section of the fort, so as to enable visitors to relax without disturbing those who are enjoying the exhibits – offered an element of diversity. Soul Food, an Italian team from Bergamo, are building quite a reputation in the city for offering genuine, homely fayre.

Setting up Je t’Aime, a shopping section offering designer goods and Maltese artisan products, as the last stop before leaving, was also effective.

The brainchild of architect Chris Briffa, Malta Design Week was supported by the Malta Arts Fund and organised by 808 Foundation. An exceptional effort for this event which, although still in its infancy, has already grown to praiseworthy proportions. Dare I hope that Fort St Elmo will be adopted as its permanent home?