If you’re one of the people who’ve come across a woman in a mask behaving strangely on the streets of Żebbuġ, Sliema or Marsaxlokk in recent days, you might be relieved to know it’s all part of an elaborate street performance.
The bizarre street theatre project is being directed by one of Malta’s top artists, who isn’t revealing his identity until after the final outdoor performance on October 12.
But despite being only halfway through its six shows, it’s already generating a lot of controversy, as well as some headaches for the local authorities.
The first impromptu performance took place in Żebbuġ on September 26 outside the boys’ Society of Christian Doctrine (MUSEUM) – just as parents were dropping off their children.
They saw a person, wearing a mask and smashing the face of a doll.
One person wrote on popular Facebook group The Salott: “Hi, was in Żebbuġ earlier and saw a person with a mask scaring kids and smashing things! It’s really messed up! Has anyone else seen her?”
The police were called and the office of mayor Malcolm Paul Galea also received phone calls from worried parents.
This placed the artists’ permit for his next performance in Marsaxlokk under threat.
“I got a call from the local council of Marsaxlokk as they were worried about a public backlash there too.
“But then they realised that at the end of the day what we were doing was harmless, so the committee decided to grant us permission to perform.
“The irony of course is that the children were entertained and engaged at the performance in Żebbuġ, while it was the parents who took it out of context and said it was scary.
“I believe many people who complained hadn’t even seen it and had only heard about it.”
The controversial performances centre around a similar theme, iconic female figures both mythical and biblical including Medusa, Salome and Delilah. The Żebbuġ performance was a reference to Medea, who murdered her children as part of her revenge on an unfaithful husband.
While the actress performs on the street, the artist moves through the crowd anonymously, analysing people’s reactions.
“Different demographics react to different stunts and some find it challenging, which is exactly what happened in Żebbuġ.
“Because the performance included dolls’ heads being crushed, people automatically thought it was some kind of anti-abortion narrative.
“Others thought she was a migrant, which was a total stretch.
Photos: Christa Debono Huskinson via Facebook“But this is exactly what I wanted to spark. Create a situation and people will throw their own agendas and fears at it.
“We did the exact same scene in Sliema on Tuesday evening and got a totally different reaction with no negative backlash.
“The tourists just watched, while many of the Maltese tried to again place an anti-abortion label on it.”
There are three more street performances scheduled across Malta between now and October 12.