An arts project is addressing artists’ need for better work spaces and more exposure. Stephanie Fsadni follows The Trail, which will see a number of open studios pop up in Sliema and St Julian’s later this year.

Laura Swale being presented with an award in the creative category at the Malta Innovation Awards 2017 ceremony, held earlier this year.

Many local artists lack proper work space, data gathered for an arts project has found.

Of the artists who have answered a call to take part in an arts trail as part of Allura – Malta Open Art Studios, 89 per cent said they have either a dedicated space at home in which to work or they have a studio. Yet, 58 per cent of them said that they would be interested in finding a studio space.

“This would suggest that their current space is inadequate in some way,” says British artist Laura Swale, the brains behind the project.

 “Allura came about precisely as a response to this high demand for work space,” she adds.

Allura, which is endorsed by V18, has won an award in the creative category of the Malta Innovation Awards 2017 and has just been shortlisted for the Social Impact Awards (Malta), a new initiative being organised by The Gasan Foundation and the Inspirasia Foundation.

According to Swale, artists also prefer to work in a community.

“Our previous feedback also suggests that artists find it isolating and simply not creatively stimulating to work alone. The ideal would appear to be an individual studio within a larger complex housing multiple studios. When you consider that one-fifth of Malta’s residents considers themselves to be artists (Culture Segments Malta), the numbers seeking work space are potentially considerable.”

The Trail, the first event of the Allura project, is illustrating the concept of open studios by providing temporary pop-up hosted studios and making these accessible to the public free of charge.

Swale, a former art teacher, points that this initiative has been very appreciated by artists as a “burning issue” among them is a perceived lack of exposure opportunities.

“Many artists feel that achieving an exhibition in a gallery or presenting their work to an audience is a distant dream. There is a sense of exclusion and many feel that they will not be taken seriously until they have been established for many years.”

The project also addresses another issue: half of the Maltese population has never been to an exhibition, according to the Cultural Participation Survey 2016.

“If you ask them why not, you will hear a list of negative perceptions,” says Swale.

“The ‘open studio’ concept is a beautiful twist on the traditional gallery format, which has the potential to attract a more mainstream audience because of its informality, the face-time with the artist, the chance to see the making process and the reduced emphasis on the price tag.

“The concept appeals to our natural human curiosity because we all want to know how, what and why. We get to see behind the scenes, the open studio secrets and because the artist is actually present, we get to ask questions.”

It works vice-versa as well, as artists also like the interaction with visitors.

“It’s really nice when people take an interest and you can share your knowledge and practice. I know I made a lot of friends when I had my open studio, many of whom were artists themselves. It allowed me to start building the network I have today,” says Swale.

When Swale settled in Malta two years ago, she was temporarily given studio space in Balluta Buildings, St Julian’s, free of charge by the Marshall family who own the Electro-Lobster Project (which is now earmarked as one of The Trail host venues).

“When people started pouring into the dusty, empty space from the street to see what I was up to, that’s when I realised something important was happening. For the most part, these were not people who would normally visit a gallery and yet they couldn’t resist a quick peek inside the studio. That’s where it all started…”

Swale is working with charities, schools, banks, the Church, local businesses and creative industry professionals for The Trail, which will take place in the first weekend of November in the Sliema and St Julian’s area. However, the event is not limited to artists living in the area.

“We are providing host venues for artists and so it doesn’t matter where you actually live or work, because we will match you with an appropriate venue which will be your pop-up open studio for the weekend,” says Swale enthusiastically.

We are looking for great ideas, technical skill and art with substance which is also beautiful and dynamic

A wide range of disciplines will be represented with the aim to appeal to a mass audience. Many activities are planned for adults and children, such as workshops, games and fun competitions.

“There will be something for everyone. The Trail will showcase work from the creative industries, such as video game design and virtual reality, movie effects artistry, architectural, graphic, fashion and product design, as well as fine arts, painting, sculpture, printmaking, illustration, digital art, street art, mural, comic and performance art, designer artisan jewellery and crafts, photography, metal and woodwork, video, 3D printing and carving, food art, costume and special effects make-up and tattooing.

“We also have applicants whose work cannot be easily defined or who work across disciplines and collaboratively.”

The event will also be filmed for a documentary and a live feed will run throughout the weekend. The one thing in common among the works on display will be “innovation”.

“This could relate to an artist’s ideas, inventions, working methods or process, materials, style or presentation,” notes Swale.

“I think it’s important to value evolution and reinvention if we are to contribute to the progression and development of contemporary art here in Malta. We are looking for great ideas, technical skill and art with substance which is also beautiful and dynamic. That being said, we’re very open-minded, surprise us! We love that too.”

The Trail has received very positive feedback so far, with a high number of applications and also offers of assistance. The event is, however, just the first of many to come.

“We could have a Three Cities Trail for example, or a Trail in Valletta, Gozo or elsewhere. The Trail is very labour intensive however, so we’re limited by the manpower and resources we can devote to this and future events. Let’s get the first one out of the way and then we can work on plans for more. That being said, I can’t think of a more exciting project to call ‘work’.”

And one final question, why was the project named Allura?

“I decided I wanted a Maltese word because this project is all about Malta,” says Swale.

“If you think about how the word ‘allura’ is used in a sentence or interaction, it’s nearly always an invitation; ‘so?’ or ‘tell me’ throws the conversation to the other person.

“In grammatical terms, the word is known as a ‘connective’, and that’s what the project is all about, connecting with people by inviting them to be part of the discussion.

“Allura is a social enterprise serving Malta and it can only do this with the input of its people. The word ‘allura’ is an open invitation to the Maltese public to determine what Allura will become. Allura is not about any one individual, it will be defined by its artists, by the impact of their work and by its legacy of innovation and creativity. Allura, so what’s it gonna be?”

The Trail is being held on November 3 and 4 at multiple venues in Sliema and St Julian’s. Artists interested in taking part are to register on www.allura.com.mt by June 30. The selected artists will be announced on July 16. The event will be free of charge for the visiting public. For more information, one can also visit www.facebook.com/AlluraMaltaOpenArtStudios/.