A giant mechanical ‘spider’ turns heads at Carnival

While Carnival is a time for the weird and the colourful, a mechanical spider-like contraption is not something you would expect to see ambling down Valletta’s Republic Street among the more traditional floats.  

But thanks to secondary school teacher Stephen Dalli and his students at Stella Maris College, that is exactly what visitors to the capital got to enjoy over the weekend. 

The 400-kilogram contraption, inspired by a giant steampunk machine in the 1999 comedy film Wild Wild West starring Will Smith, started life three years ago as a small prototype.

“It was designed and built from start to finish in the school by students in the engineering club, which I set up to teach students metalwork, welding and other skills,” Dalli said.  

The machine was powered by just two 350-watt motors using the mechanism of a wheelchair. “It has more parts than a moving car,” Dalli said. 

On the day, Dalli ‘drove’ the machine himself, joined by a troupe of dancers from the school dressed as Cowboys and Indians. 

This is the first time students from the college have taken part in the Valletta Carnival, having previously taken part in Gozo.

Dalli admitted he was initially worried the machine would malfunction: “After we got through the performance and drove it through Republic Street without any hiccups, at one point I felt relieved and really proud of the work me and the students did.” 

This is not the first time Dalli and his students have taken part in Carnival. In previous years, they participated with a ship that split in half to reveal its interior, as well as a hot air balloon inspired by the 1988 film The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. 

“Unfortunately, this year’s machine was too fragile to ship to Gozo, so we stayed in Malta,” he said. 

Writing on Facebook, Stella Maris College said such extracurricular activities were a core part of the school’s philosophy.  

“At the heart of Lasallian education is a simple but powerful belief: quality education for all, not only at school but well beyond the classroom walls. 

“Here’s to learning that leaps beyond the classroom and into the vibrant heart of life, where educators and students embraced imagination, celebrated diversity and discovered the art of dance and engineering to honour the traditions that bind us together as a community.”