A cluster of small buildings built by the British in Għargħur towards the end of the nineteenth century is being taken over by a group of local and international artists for a one-day event on June 7.
The project brings together established and emerging artists who are presenting contemporary artworks like videos and sculptures as well as performative and participatory work to the general public, in an event that is free of charge.
The site is the old Searchlight Position (often referred to as the Għargħur Battery) at Top of the World, a property that is owned by the friends of Don Bosco and is currently under restoration.
Taking place on June 7, the programme will give visitors a taste of the artists’ bid for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2031. It will include workshops and readings, as well as a temporary library of non-European fiction. Many of the works will be interactive and will encourage members of the public to engage more directly with the artists’ ideas and the surroundings. As evening falls, sound and technology will also play a part, with film-screenings and other experimental works.
The event is also experimental in its approach to the general organisation of the project, which is very open-ended and horizontal, encouraging all participating artists (around 25 in all) to co-curate the programme, using the fictional island of Farfara that appeared sporadically on 17th century maps of the Maltese archipelago as a springboard for their artistic concepts. Farfara2031 aims to push the boundaries in thinking, practising and experiencing how collaboration and co-creation can be developed.
The site, popularly known as Top of the World, was selected because it looks out to sea, and hence quite easily relates to the idea of a fictional island somewhere on the horizon. While the buildings previously served a military function, they have been reconceptualised by the artists as an imaginative and fluid space of encounter, open to the public and different interpretations.
Participating artists are Mohamed Ali “Dali” Aguerbi, Amparo Alonso Sanz, Bobb Attard, Amanda Bartolo, Elise Billiard Pisani, Keit Bonnici, Maria Borg, Joey Borg, Daniela Buhagiar, Josephine Burden, Florinda Camilleri, Redent Camilleri, Aidan Celeste, Yanika Ciantar, Katel Delia, Ryan Falzon, Alberto Favaro, John Grech, Marcia Grima, Bettina Hutschek, Tom Van Malderen, Caldon Merceica, Beatrice Portelli, Pierre Portelli, Margerita Pulè, Cyril Sancereau, Philip Taliana, Raphael Vella, Isaac Warrington, Karsten Xuereb, Manuela Zammit, Astrid Zammit Meli.
The event takes place on June 7 from 2-10pm in Top of the World, just outside the small village of Għargħur. Thanks to the Salesians of Don Bosco for their support. The full programme can be found on farfara2031.eu/events.