Think - Issue 23 by Think

APRIL 2018 • ISSUE 23

ISSN 2306-0735

I D E A S

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M A LTA

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R E S E A RC H

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P E O P L E

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U N I V E R S I TY

VISIT THE VALLETTA UNDERGROUND CISTERNS PART OF DAL-BAÄ¦AR MADWARHA CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITION

MARCH - 1 JULY ST

Another Valletta 2018 project

WHO BY FIRE A SOUND INSTALLATION BY SUSAN PHILIPSZ OPEN ON 25TH MARCH

A COLLECTION OF INSTALLATIONS AT THE ST ELMO EXAMINATION CENTRE

& LARGE SCALE INSTALLATION AT THE PIXKERIJA, VALLETTA

TICKETS: valletta2018.org

FIND US ONLINE

To read all our articles featuring some extra content um.edu.mt/think

To follow our daily musings and a look behind the scenes facebook.com/ThinkUM

EDITORIAL

ARTS

umanity’s journey has been fraught by war and tragedy. But through it all, we have endured. Not only that, but our

To communicate with us and follow the latest in research news twitter.com/thinkuni

predecessors have left behind a trail of gems—the arts.

Some of the most important archaeological findings have been artistic

in nature. From the Cave of Altamira in Spain and the mesmerising Terracotta Army, to the beautiful treasures in Tutankhamun's Tomb, they are all testaments to human tenacity. Legacy builders like Van Gogh,

To see our best photos and illustrations instagram.com/thinkuni

Picasso, and Dali have no equals. Our conclusion—art is human. For 2018, the THINK team is delving into three aspects of human intellectual thought to show the breadth of what research can mean. Our Arts Focus starts this journey. Nikki Petroni writes about how Maltese artists need to be

To view some great videos youtube.com/user/ThinkUni

contextualised in an international setting (pg. 22), while Prof. Raphael Vella interviews a local artist that exhibited at the Venice Biennale (pg. 38)—it does not get more international than that. But the arts are not just paintings, with films (pg. 28), dance to aid Parkinson’s Disease

To read all our printed magazines online

(pg. 52), and storytelling for a better quality of life all being part of that

issuu.com/thinkuni

world. The issue also reflects on what the 2018 European Capital of Culture means for Valletta’s citizens (pg. 64)—not to be missed. Other research coming out of the University of Malta is as varied as ever. Drones are being used to study Malta’s historical sites (pg. 62). Ancient languages (pg. 11) are given their due. Malta’s problem with waste management also gets tackled (pg. 48).

For our archive from the University of Malta Library um.edu.mt/library/oar

And, if you’d like a lighter read, just check out our To-do list (pg. 72) to keep you busy during an impressionist spring.

CONTRIBUTE

Edward Duca EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

edward.duca@um.edu.mt @DwardD

Cassi Camilleri

ASSISTANT EDITOR

cassian.camilleri@um.edu.mt @CassiCamilleri

Are you a student, staff, or researcher at the University of Malta? Would you like to contribute to THINK magazine? If interested, please get in touch to discuss your article on think@um.edu.mt or call +356 2340 3451

COVER STORY

CONTENTS ISSUE 23 � APRIL 2018 TOOLKIT

Mapping in 3D

WITHOUT BORDERS

Onfoħ

6 ARTS

DESIGN

Instant Photography

For THINK issue 23's cover, illustrator Roberta Scerri was inspired by the artistic process. The artwork visualises the myriad of thoughts and ideas swimming through a creative's mind when faced with a blank canvas. At the same time, she also worked on a childhood memory— the paint, fold, and print reflection exercise found in beginner art classes—to remind us all of one simple lesson: we all have to start somewhere.

ART FOCUS

8 OPINION

Lighting the way to darker skies

Classical Hebrew undying

Usability—the frustrated user

A generation game

De-isolating an island scene

STUDENTS

Text feeds text, feeds art

Spotting marine litter

Confrontation caricaturised

Drawing with our eyes

Are we ready for self-driving cars?

Of art and interpretation

CONTRIBUTORS TOOLKIT Prof. Saviour Formosa WITHOUT BORDERS David Falzon Annalise Schembri Matthew Schembri DESIGN Charlo Pisani OPINION Dr Conrad Attard Dr Joseph Caruana Dr Abigail R. Zammit STUDENT SECTION Matthew Attard Clint Galea Serena Lagorio

FOCUS Aaron Bezzina Prof. Vince Briffa Cassi Camilleri Prof. Saviour Catania Dr Fabrizio Foni Prof. Gloria Lauri Lucente Nikki Petroni Charlotte Stafrace Prof. Raphael Vella

CULTURE Dr Marie Briguglio Dr Antoine Zammit The Valletta 2018 Foundation

FEATURES Dr Jean-Paul De Lucca Margaret Camilleri Fenech

START UP

RIDT Dr Ing. John C. Betts Iggy Fenech Wilfred Kenely Sarah Spiteri

LAB TO LIFE Dr Philip Bonanno Rebecca Catrin Jones Pen Lister

ALUMNI ARTICLE Sirly Raavel Teodor Reljic David Vassallo Brian Zarb Adami

Dawn Gillies Natalie Muschamp

LLUSTRATIONS Roberta Scerri

WEBSITE Cassi Camilleri Roberta Scerri

PHOTOGRAPHY Peter Bartolo Parnis Romina Bettega Aaron Bezzina Prof. Vince Briffa Emma Micallef James Moffett Charlo Pisani Zvezdan Reljic Charlotte Stafrace Pierre Stafrace Paolo Vandrasch Geoffrey Zarb Adami The Joseph Kalleya Family Archives CloudIsle Team

THINK is a quarterly research magazine published by the Marketing, Communications & Alumni Office at the University of Malta To subscribe to our blog log into um.edu.mt/think/subscribe and fill in your details. � For advertising opportunities, please call 2340 3451 or get in touch by email on think@um.edu.mt Advertising rates are available on um.edu.mt/think/advertise

FEATURE

Letters, Networks and Revolutions

Where does it go? A snapshot of waste management in Malta

Computer know how is being fused with philosophy to understanding Europe’s luminaries

Is Malta’s brand new incinerator enough to solve the island’s big bad waste problem?

LAB TO LIFE

The professor in your pocket: Directed learning on the move

START-UP

So you think you can't dance? Parkinson's Patients dancing their way to better health

Harnessing the power of digital media to continue learning outside the classroom

CULTURE

How will science judge Valletta 2018’s legacy?

RESEARCH

Merging past and future

Using drones to revolutionise archeology

Will the efforts that came with the European Capital of Culture title leave a tangible mark on Malta’s cultural scene?

ALUMNI TO-DO LIST

What to watch, read, listen to and who to follow on social media Our content picks to stimulate your eyes, ears, and mind

THINK I D E A S

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M A LTA

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R E S E A RC H

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P E O P L E

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U N I V E R S I TY

APRIL 2018 - ISSUE 23

EDITORIAL

Edward Duca EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cassi Camilleri EDITOR DESIGN

Roberta Scerri DESIGNER COPYEDITING

Samuel J. Standfield PROOFREADING

Cyber-safety in an ever-shifting landscape

At a time when cyberattacks are a dime a dozen, you need a company like CyberSift by your side.

ISSN 2306-0735 Copyright © University of Malta, 2018 The right of the University of Malta to be identified as Publisher of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright Act, 2001. University of Malta, Msida, Malta Tel: (356) 2340 2340 Fax: (356) 2340 2342 um.edu.mt All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of research and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this magazine are correct and active at the time of going to press. However the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate. Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent issues.

Amy Borg PRINTING

Print It, Malta

TOOLKIT

Top Left: The Workers' Memorial Monument, Msida Top Right: Għariebel transition Left: Fort St Elmo, Valletta

Toolkit

Right Page: Ħal-Saflieni Hypogeum, Paola

Photos by CloudIsle Team

Mapping in 3D island’s labyrinth of underground caves. The technology

They are now commonly used by photographers

will even be used to uncover underwater artefacts at

and videographers, law enforcement, the military, and

up to 500m depth. The legendary Um El-Faroud and

criminologists. At the University of Malta (UM), they are

the Xlendi-Karwela-Cominoland trio of wrecks, now

being used as a part of CloudIsle.

transformed into artificial reefs and popular diving sites,

CloudIsle, a project headed by Prof. Saviour Formosa

are currently under review.

(Faculty for Social Wellbeing, UM), is using drones kitted

This data’s real-world applications are vast. It can

out with laser scanning tools, ground-penetrating radar,

be used to aid Malta’s Planning Authority and ensure

and surveying equipment to create 3D maps of Malta.

building stability, as well as analyse extreme weather and

Using billions of data points, the fine details of above and

monitor climate change. The Department of Criminology

below-ground features can be recorded. This includes

(Faculty for Social Wellbeing, UM) is also employing these

precise detail on buildings, as well as the intricacies of the

tools in environmental enforcement, as well as for spatial

The technology will even be used to uncover underwater artefacts at up to 500m depth.

forensics and crime reconstruction in scenes related to bombings and homicides. CloudIsle is already reaping rewards. The team has discovered and named the Għariebel doline land feature off the Selmunett Islands. They have also created a baseline map of Malta and its seas that can be used to integrate new 3D spatial data.

Toolkit

rones have rapidly gained popularity in recent years.

WITHOUT

Without Borders

BORDERS

Onfoħ B

reathing moves air in and out of the

environmental problem of our time—our

lungs. Oxygen goes in, carbon dioxide is

inability to visualise our own carbon

flushed out. An exchange occurs within our

footprint. The work does this by showing

internal environment. Onfoħ is an installation

that which is usually unseen—the physical

that explores the phenomenon of carbon

manifestation of carbon emissions.

emissions through human respiration. Carbon emissions are loosely defined as

The installation consisted of five plinth-like structures, each housing a glass container of

the release of greenhouse gases and their

lime water. Stencilled onto the pillars were

precursors into the atmosphere over a specified

illustrations of lungs, each consecutive pair

area and time. This notion is usually linked

having decreased surface areas, conveying a

to the burning of fossil fuels like natural gas,

sense of degeneration. When the audience

crude oil, and coal. In short—human activity.

interacted with the installation, breathing into

From the very beginning, humans have altered

the lime water and adding carbon dioxide, they

their environment. In fact, an average person

triggered a chemical reaction that produced

takes 12 to 20 breaths per minute, amounting

insoluble calcium carbonate. The clear solution

to an average of 23,040 breaths per day. The

turned milky, making the invisible visible.

world’s population collectively breathes out

Humans contribute constantly

around 2500 million tonnes of carbon dioxide

to carbon-based, hazardous waste

each year, around 7% of the annual carbon

production, and the installation demanded

dioxide tonnage produced by burning fossil fuels.

that they face that reality.

Although the carbon dioxide produced through breathing is part of a closed loop in

Note: The installation was displayed as part of

which our output is matched by the input from

a collective exhibition entitled Human Matter,

the food we eat, it can be used as a metaphor

hosted by the Malta Society of Arts at the end

to visualise other unseen outputs from other

of last year. David Falzon, Matthew Schembri

man-made sources: transportation, electricity,

and Annalise Schembri teamed up to work on

heating, water consumption, food production.

this artwork as soon as they finished reading

Installation by David Falzon, Matthew Schembri and Annalise Schembri for Human Matter collective exhibition.

for an MFA in Digital Arts (Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences, University of Malta).

Without Borders

Onfoħ was designed to engage citizens and address an overwhelmingly challenging

DESIGN

Instant Photography I

nstant cameras, commonly referred to as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Polaroidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

derelict hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;such images are captured in the mind

thanks to the pioneering company, offer limited

and their essence might be transferred into other shots.

manual-automatic controls. These self-developing

Having the image in hand within minutes does not

photographs present numerous analog imperfections,

necessarily make the medium of instant photography

but additional aspects make them distinctive.

unique, for even the photos themselves can change

Polaroids do not document the world faithfully. They create

hues and mood with time. What does make it unique is

a new version of it though their own lighting schemes, colours,

its unpredictability and the challenge it poses when it

and softness; a quality associated with past technologies. All

comes to materialising intentions within the limitations

these aspects enhance the transient nature of subjects, such as

of the medium. This makes the effort worth pursuing.

boy counting in during a game of hide-and-seek (see picture). The process of capturing an image can also draw from 'missed opportunities'. These are subjects one comes across

An image illustrates the relationship between a subject and its viewer. It is a perspective on the world, be it a printed photograph, a digital file, or a memory.

but does not photograph due to not having a camera at hand, or for fear of intrusion. A line of people coming down

Find out more about Instants, published by

a hill, or visitors waiting like purgatorial souls outside a

Ede Books, here: http://bit.ly/2yCQLyV

Design

The qualities of instant photos enhance the transient nature of subjects.

Photos and article by Charlo Pisani

Design

Lighting the way to darker skies Dr Joseph Caruana

s the sun sets and the sky

lives in many more ways. Our night-

When planning new lights for a road

darkens, a black velvety

time environment is fast becoming a

or a public space, should we not

curtain adorned with flecks

vista of blindingly cold light, and we

consider the impact the proposed

of twinkling lights is drawn across

need to act now to reverse this. Badly

lighting will have on the surrounding

the heavens, and a milky white band

designed lighting can result in glare,

community and environment?

of fuzzy glow stretches majestically

which is especially dangerous while

overhead. Unfortunately, this

driving. Light trespassing into people’s

environment is not diametrically

experience is nowadays denied to

homes creates a myriad of problems,

opposed to human activity and

us thanks to artificial lighting. The

ranging from mild discomfort to serious

business interests. Other countries

sky is often left awash in a cold,

sleep disruption. Studies have linked

have long recognised the night

jarring glow, making Malta one of

bright LED lighting with adverse

sky’s potential for eco-tourism.

only five countries whose citizens are

health effects, as it can interfere with

denied the possibility of observing

our circadian (daily) rhythm. Light

(Faculty of Science, University of

the Milky Way from their home.

pollution also disturbs wildlife. For

Malta [UM]) and Institute of Space

example, conserving colonies of birds

Sciences and Astronomy (UM) are

where we can see the Milky Way.

that make their home at the cliffs of

currently embarking on a new study

But even those are under continuous

Dwejra, like Scopoli’s Shearwater and

of our islands' night sky’s brightness.

threat. In 2002 the Malta Environment

Yelkouan Shearwater, depends heavily

Interested parties, authorities, and

and Planning Authority designated

on our efforts to curb light pollution.

non-governmental organisations alike

A few select coastal sites remain

a number of sites in Gozo and

Opinion

The Department of Physics

are most welcome and encouraged

Comino as Dark Sky Heritage Areas,

as switching off all our lights, but

to get in touch. It is only through

stating that ‘reflective signs shall be

adopting full cutoff lighting in streets

awareness, dedication, and proper

employed to guide driving at night,

to illuminate the ground without

coordination that we can help

whilst the installation of lighting

spilling light everywhere else.

ensure that future generations

which is not related to aerial or

The solution is not as drastic

Conservation of our natural

Luckily, light pollution is a reversible

can still enjoy the peaceful beauty of the Maltese night sky.

maritime navigation, shall be strongly

problem. Authorities can choose to

discouraged.’ Since then, light pollution

bring about positive change, sometimes

has still been increasing and is

requiring little effort. Do we really

Further reading:

seriously impinging upon these areas.

need our public monuments, churches,

Falchi et al., ‘The new world

To some, the ability to appreciate

building facades, and playing fields to

atlas of artificial night sky

and study the night sky might be less of

be illuminated all night long, oftentimes

brightness’, Science Advances,

a priority, but light pollution affects our

with skyward-pointing floodlighting?

vol. 2, no. 6, 2016, e1600377

Classical Hebrew undying Dr Abigail R. Żammit Translators can only convey ideas

Israel. Combined with an archaeological

of the Tanakh, the Jewish

after making countless choices in

and contextual reassessment, these

Scriptures, the very source of

the understanding and rendering of

inscriptions provided valuable insight

the Christian Old Testament. Its first

words, all while being consciously or

into the socio-political history of early

appearance in the historical record

unconsciously guided by their own

6th-century BCE Judah, including

dates back to the 10th century BCE,

ideological leanings. Translations are

scribal culture and the mastery of

and like the other semitic languages

essentially interpretative exercises.

the contemporary Hebrew language,

from which it emerged, it was written

Armed with knowledge of the original

as well as military operations and

from right to left and comprises

language, a reader can identify the

prophetic activity, all of which strike

only consonants. By the turn of the

original authors’ ideology, emphasis,

similarities with the Book of Jeremiah.

Common or Current Era, its use

word order, and tone. All of these

as a spoken language was quickly

features could easily be lost in

rigorous mental workout that instills

being superseded by Aramaic and

translation. For example, should

an appreciation for detail: an insight

Greek. A few centuries later it was

the word ‘m shihu’ in Psalm 2:2 be

useful across innumerable fields. Not

a linguistic relic, its use limited to

translated as ‘his Messiah’ or ‘his

only does it provide a solid foundation

liturgical and literary contexts, not

Christ’ or ‘his Anointed One’? A

for Modern Hebrew, but it offers a fresh

so different from the use of Latin

choice needs to be made, and that

perspective for those wishing to read

much later in the Christian west.

choice does make a difference.

biblical texts in a critical manner. After

‘Dead’ languages bring up the

Archaeologists use the same concept

Studying Classical Hebrew can be a

all, the Bible remains an iconic cultural

question of relevance. They are limited

when studying ancient artefacts, as

artefact in the western world, vital

in their vocabulary, especially when

do epigraphists, the specialists who

when discussing not only ideology but

compared to their contemporaries; the

study inscriptions. Understanding

even cinema, literature, music, and art.

Classical Hebrew lexicon amounts to

the inscribed language on items leads

just about 10,000 words. Today, they

to a clearer, more colourful picture

our history and the people who shaped

could not be used for communication,

of its context and origins. The Malta

it, all the while providing food for

on official documents, or for most

Government Scholarship Scheme

thought for those in the present.

conventional things. However, there

supported me in carrying out such

is one function ancient languages

an epigraphic study for my doctoral

For more information: The Department

fulfill in a far superior manner—

research at the University of Oxford. My

of Oriental Studies (Faculty of Arts,

interpreting ancient texts.

project dealt specifically with a group

University of Malta) offers study-units

of inscribed pottery sherds discovered

on Classical Hebrew grammar, syntax,

at Lachish (modern Tell ed-Duweir) in

and readings at undergraduate level.

Modern translations cannot quite capture the nuance of ancient texts.

Ancient languages give a voice to

Opinion

lassical Hebrew is the Hebrew

Usability—the frustrated user Dr Conrad Attard

oday we can say ‘there is an

is difficult to manoeuvre, their target

As a result, users or employees of

app for everything.’ Android

audience will stop using it. From users’

companies become frustrated when

and iOS boast over 3.5 million

perspective, too many apps these

apps are not designed effectively.

and 2.2 million apps on their

days are failing to add enough value,

platforms respectively, each of them

seeing adoption drop off quickly.

fulfilling a role, be it social, utilities,

At the workplace, employees are

More usability experts are needed to improve the way apps are designed. Well-designed apps empower

entertainment, gaming, productivity,

expected to learn and use software

people, seeing them become more

commerce, and much more.

applications. A lot of these are now

confident with technology they

available through mobile devices

are unfamiliar with. Better apps

and work-related information into their

that need to be connected. However,

contribute to addressing challenges

smartphones, from calendar entries

studies conducted in different

people face when they can’t keep

to sign-ins at favourite restaurants,

scenarios such as airport environments

up with the swift advances of the

apps are becoming more personalised,

and healthcare show that people are

digital world. The use of digital tools

learning more about their behaviour.

struggling to adopt technology.

that are easy to learn and easy to

As users continuously feed personal

So what role does usability play in

Most people access apps related to

remember allow users to create,

the digital world? The term usability is

public services on their smartphones

understand, and communicate while

part of a broader term referred to as

and tablets so that they can submit

continually developing their digital

‘user experience’. Usability assesses

e-forms and conduct work of that

skills. Usability not only boosts

how easy it is for people to use

sort. Unlike with leisure apps and

digital literacy, it also bridges the

interfaces. Developers are expected to

games, the choice in this field is

gap between tech-savvy users and

create apps that people need, but they

limited to the apps provided by

those we risk leaving behind.

need to keep in mind that if that app

the public entities themselves. Further reading:

OPINION

However, studies conducted in different scenarios such as airport environments and healthcare show that people are struggling to adopt technology. 12

C. Attard, G. Mountain, and D. Maria Romano; 'Problem solving, confidence and frustration when carrying out familiar tasks on non-familiar mobile devices,' https://doi.org/10.1016/j. chb.2016.03.001

STUDENTS

Spotting marine litter Serena Lagorio

arine litter is a problem found across the world. As well as being directly deposited in seas

Apart from characterising marine litter, the project aimed to observe whether hydrodynamical phenomena,

and oceans, plastic, wood, rope, and other items are

such as wind and currents, are also influencing the

accumulating on land and making their way into bodies

accumulation of litter. However, results showed

of water. On the Maltese Islands, such littering happens

that the difference between the areas of study was

frequently. Last summer the Physical Oceanography

not due to dynamics of coastal currents and coastal

Research Group (Faculty of Science, University of

topography, but to human activities. In Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq,

Malta [UM]) took a step towards tackling the issue.

for example, categories such as wood and plastic were

Under the supervision of Prof. Alan Deidun and Adam

found on land at considerable distances from the

Gauci, I sought to harness innovative techniques and create

shoreline, close to points easily accessible by cars.

a monitoring programme that would begin to identify what kind of litter is on Malta and Gozo’s beaches. The national Marine Strategy Framework Directive was

We also used statistical analyses to confirm that parameters such as tourism, lack of public knowledge, and lack of environmental consciousness are affecting the

followed to ensure good data collection and meeting of

accumulation of marine litter, laying the blame firmly on

the ‘Good Environmental Status’ by 2020. The study used

human activities.

images captured by a drone in three coastline areas: the

The remedy to the situation is in Maltese citizens'

north east Marine Protected Area of Malta, Qawra Point, and

hands. Only we have the power to turn things around.

the eastern and western points of Baħar Iċ-Ċagħaq. Flying

It’s time to clean up our act.

at an altitude of 30 meters, the drone was programmed to included plastic, wood, rope, rubber, and other miscellaneous items such as washing machines and mattresses.

This research was carried out as part of a Masters in Physical Oceanography, Faculty of Science, UM.

STUDENTS

spot specific categories of marine and coastal litter. These

Illustration of seven superimposed eye-drawings of the model, undertaken from the same viewpoint by five different participants.

Drawing with our eyes Matthew Attard

rawing can be defined as the active exploration of an individual’s mental imagery. John Berger

I explored these concepts in several experiments. I ran communal 'life' eye-drawing classes with first

described it as ‘an autobiographical record of one’s

year students reading for an MFA (Faculty of Media

discovery of an event—seen, remembered, or imagined.’

and Knowledge Sciences, University of Malta [UM]).

The initial hunch for my research revolved around the

Their resulting visuals were surprisingly individualistic,

idea of drawing with one’s eyes instead of hands by using

highlighting their characters, a quality I observed

an eye-tracker.

to be constant throughout all eye-drawings.

The approach intrigued me for three reasons. It allowed me

Using an eye-tracker to draw led to some exciting

to explore the notion that an artist’s skills are in his tools—his

possibilities. I tested a preliminary algorithm, developed by

hands. The eye-tracker-based technique ‘levelled the playing

my colleague Neil Mizzi, (Faculty of ICT, UM) that ‘corrected’

field’ between artist and non-practitioner by removing hands

an eye-drawing by comparing it to a real-world picture.

from the equation. Secondly, through eye-drawing practice, I

The technique could be applied in future eye-drawing

could also notice a shift in the drawing methods used. Normal

devices designed to help physically impaired individuals

drawing involves hand-eye coordination and a degree of

to draw from real-world images using just their eyes.

intuitive eye movements. In ‘eye-drawing’, these movements

It can be argued that art is a subjective experience, both

have to be suppressed into following contours along the

in its creation and perception. Eye-drawing can exploit this

observed worldview, while also restraining the impulse to

subjectivity revealing ‘signature’ gestures through a new

refer to the accustomed curvilinear hand motions. All this

way of looking.

Students

feeds into the fact that eye-drawing cannot be regarded

through the same approach as ‘normal’ drawing. Eye-drawn

This research was carried out as part of a Masters by

objects have a direct representation tied to their place and

research at the Department of Digital Arts, Faculty of

time of execution and acquire a technological aesthetic.

Media and Knowledge Sciences, University of Malta (UM).

Are we ready for self-driving cars? Clint Galea

n 2016 a 40-year-old technology company owner called Joshua Brown was killed when his autopiloting Tesla

On Wi-Fi networks, we found that when the connection moved from one base-station (the receiver-transmitter that

Model S malfunctioned. Since then a number of other

serves as the hub of a local wireless network) to another,

incidents have raised the problem of safety in and around

the handover took too long. This problem meant that whilst

autonomous cars. One potential solution is to connect cars

the connection was transferring, the video was lost, leaving

together so that they can keep in constant touch, letting

the car blind. This is obviously dangerous and means that

each other know exactly where they are and when to get

these networks are not safe enough for automated cars.

out of the way. Another alternative is to have a human pilot

3G was not fast enough to transmit video in real-time.

the vehicle for part, or all, of the journey, reducing some of

The next step was to set up an outdoor racetrack to

the fear associated with self-driving cars’ safety and giving

test the RPGV over the 4G network on UM grounds.

rise to so-called remotely-piloted ground vehicles (RPGVs).

We varied the networks’ signal delay and the camera’s

Because this idea needs a stable and constant Internet

range of view, then measured the lap times, distance

connection, I wanted to test if the current 4G network is

travelled and road cones hit to calculate driving accuracy.

fast enough for these cars to drive and function safely.

Finally, we compared them to how accurate the drivers

Relying on a hefty amount of external data about

thought they were driving.

pedestrians, other traffic, road layouts, and more makes things difficult.

We concluded that 4G mobile networks allow adequate remote control of an RPGV, although the

At the Department of Communications and Computer

amount of delay left little room for error. A faster

Engineering, (Faculty of ICT, University of Malta [UM]), on

5G network would be able to act quickly enough

a project led by Prof. Ing. Saviour Żammit, we created an

to avoid accidents, so self-driving cars will need to

RPGV by modifying a radio-controlled vehicle and used it to

wait a bit longer before becoming a reality.

test the suitability and safety of 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi networks. This research was carried out as part of the Masters of Science (Telecommunications) program,

too long to reach the driver, they won't be able to react

Faculty of ICT, UM, supported by GO plc and

quickly enough to avoid obstacles and accidents.

the Research Fund Committee of the UM.

Students

Fast communication between driver and car is crucial for the safety of RPGVs. If information from the car takes

FOCUS

ARTS

In this FOCUS, we have a selection of research

political, provocative, beautiful, expressive,

and interviews from the University of Malta that

emotional or go against all of these values.

are sure to contribute to the ongoing dialogue.

A generation game Sharing thoughts, ideas, and memories to bridge the divide between young and old.

De-isolating an island scene How does Maltese art travel? Is it as insular as we think?

Text feeds text, feeds art How far can you go? On the spectre that lingers on in film adaptations.

Confrontation caricaturised Embracing duality and the wastelands in between.

Of art and interpretation From plasticine to Biennale. An interview with local artist Aaron Bezzina.

FOCUS

he arts are human expression. They can be

Focus

a generation game Sharing memories, ideas, and feelings is something we usually do with friends. What if you were asked to do it with a stranger? And what if that stranger was ‘from a different time’? Active Age – Intergenerational Dialogue project creator Charlotte Stafrace has the answers. which is not entirely inaccurate. There seems to

will tell you that a touch of creativity

be a gap growing between people of different

can see you achieving everything

ages. Project participant Nenu (82) said ‘We have

you set out to and more, albeit in

become people that others are not happy to see

a potentially roundabout way. The

or talk to. We are seen as slower [...] We get in

arts encourage people to break away from habit,

the way.’ Maria, a student, echoed this sentiment,

explore new areas of experience, and learn. This

saying that ‘To me, they [older generations] are

ethos inspired the Theatre Anon Arts Foundation

separate, they have another life.’ This mentality

while engaging with the Maltese elderly community.

could result in a fragmented community: one

Active Age was a pilot project that motivated older

that loses touch with itself as the years go by.

adults to move their bodies while sharing their life

sought to recreate the connections developed in

from our day-to-day lives when we’re not looking, so

the pilot project, but this time across generations.

improvisation games and props like flowing scarves

To do this, we sought out a number of collaborators.

and balls encouraged playfulness. This translated into

Spazju Kreattiv provided a platform. The Active

a willing openness when it came to contributing to

Ageing and Community Care Directorate helped us

the ‘memory boxes’ created along the other side of

get the word out. A number of day-care centres and

the project. While looking through the mementos

homes gave us the space we needed to conduct the

and telling stories, everyone in the room connected.

sessions. Education institutions MCAST, Aġenzija

Through Active Age, many of our participants

Active Age tree installation Photo by Charlotte Stafrace

With Active Age – Intergenerational Dialogue, we

experiences. We noticed that fun tends to slip away

Żgħażagħ, and masters students from the Department

realised their potential to make a real difference

of Gerontology (Faculty for Social Wellbeing,

in others’ lives. It was then that we decided to

University of Malta [UM]) also came on board.

broaden our horizons, and expand the borders of the

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

conversation to include young people. This is how Active Age – Intergenerational Dialogue came to be.

BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER Intergenerational dialogue is often spoken of as

The process created a cycle of meaningful exchange, including skill-sharing. The UM’s Gerontology students attended a workshop on creative skills which they then put into action

if it were a reaction needing a scientist to place the

during the sessions we conducted—120 in total.

elements together in a very controlled environment,

The team also learnt a lot during the research Focus

nyone who has worked in the arts

All of this created a wonderful atmosphere and helped foster a shared identity as a community. process from previous projects. We looked into the local context and tried to determine what would work and what would not. It is not easy to ruffle feathers, or to get people to move and have fun when they have not been encouraged to do so for years. But the results proved immensely positive. We created a safe space where participants could have fun and laugh out loud. Through reminiscence activities we gave our older adults and youths an opportunity to explore the things that tie us together as human beings. While going through photos, an older woman told her younger counterpart, ‘Once upon a time, I had a body like yours and I had energy to waste […] no one could ever stop me.’ Another lady pointed out how they did not have the same freedoms younger people enjoy today. But even so ‘we had loads of fun; we ran, we danced. When I see you I see so much of me, how I was before…’ As the sessions went on, we implemented themes such as love, fashion, music, and entertainment to keep everyone engaged and inspired. We would ask participants to bring in items related to the theme: images of their wedding days, old games, old perfume bottles, and recipe books. Some days we would find music from their favourite decades and sing and dance. All of this created a wonderful atmosphere and helped foster a Focus

shared identity as a community.

2 1

3 4 5

1. Active Age tree installation 2. Active Age activities, Siggiewi 3. Active Age activities, Bormla 4. Active Age activities, Paola Photo by Charlotte Stafrace 5. Charlotte Stafrace Photo by Pierre Stafrace

All these items provoked discussion, always

It also worked to encourage further dialogue

highlighting common interests and differences.

as visitors themselves took the opportunity

In care homes, the conversation and connection

to read the replies and add their own.

would sometimes go on beyond the confines of

It is truly rewarding to see the diversity

the workshop. Participants would invite me into

of positive effects created by Active Age –

their rooms to see their personal belongings.

Intergenerational Dialogue. This also applies

From week to week, as new challenges were

to us as the Theatre Anon Arts Foundation.

introduced, we observed changes in attitudes

We had the opportunity to meet and explore

and an increased willingness to participate. In

in depth the needs of a part of our growing

care homes particularly, when sessions came to

ageing community. We learnt new creative skills

an end, participants would ask about what would

that helped us connect with this community.

happen next and if they would see us again.

We increased awareness, defied stereotypes,

THE GRAND FINALE

and after this, we look forward to more open, collaborative projects. The future looks bright!

The project did not end there. It continued through an interactive exhibition at Spazju

Charlotte Stafrace is a creative arts practitioner,

Kreattiv, which included images and works

project manager and facilitator for Active Age

from the sessions. The centrepiece was a

Malta. Active Age – Intergenerational Dialogue

tree-shaped installation covered in notes

is a Theatre Anon Arts Foundation project

which the older adults wrote, sometimes with

funded by the Malta Community Chest fund

the youths’ help, answering the question:

foundation, with the collaboration of the

What would you tell your younger self?

Active Ageing & Community Care Directorate, the Critical Institute, Spazju Kreattiv,

of lost dreams, opportunities, and heartbreak,

and the educational institutions: MCAST,

with stories of encouragement, happy times,

Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, Gerontology Deptartment

and cherished memories sprinkled throughout.

(Faculty for Social Wellbeing, UM).

Focus

The result was a very poignant piece full of tales

Focus

De-isolating an island scene While the Maltese art scene continues to expand and mature, questions of relevance are coming to the fore: How does Maltese art travel? Is it as insular as we think? Nikki Petroni looks at current research to find answers.

What does the artist Josef Kalleya have in common with Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading

they cannot discuss, they cannot

the limitations we face due to the

modern sculptor Auguste Rodin?

share ideas, they cannot learn.

countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dimensions. But the reality

How did Gabriel Caruana directly

is that ideas and knowledge are not

contribute to the redefinition of

confined by physical circumstances.

ceramics as an art form? And in what

We need to make a continuous

ways does the evolution of cubism

stoic, lonely artist remains ever

effort to challenge that. We need

in Malta overlap with similar efforts

popular, it hides the fact that in

to think of art more holistically.

in the Mediterranean, Japan, and

In art, isolation is dangerous

for the very same reasons.

Josef Kalleya, Crucifixion, 1960. Clay, destroyed. Photo from the Josef Kalleya Family Archives

little in common with everyone else. We also have a habit of reiterating

When people are isolated

While the romantic image of the

reality this would result in work

While many papers have been

even as far south as New Zealand?

that is restricted in its exploration

written on 20th century Maltese

of new ideas or philosophies. It

art and artists, documenting

encourages stubborn rot to set in. It

their work, preserving them, and

hinders an understanding of where

making them publicly available,

discuss art is still necessary, especially

the art stands in the bigger picture.

we lack the discourse that permits

at a time when we are surrounded

an objective assessment of the

by all manner of images and visual

its very nature. Its mindset reflects

historical context in which Maltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

languages that can be so difficult to

this. Sometimes we think we have

modern art was created.

translate into words. This is not to

As an island, Malta is isolated by

CONTEXT IS KEY Addressing the methods of how we

Focus

solation is dangerous.

When people are isolated they cannot discuss, they cannot share ideas, they cannot learn. In art, isolation is dangerous for the very same reasons. Josef Kalleya in his studio Photo from the Josef Kalleya Family Archives

say that it is harder today to devise

dialogue, that influences and interacts

Josef Kalleya. Locally, Kalleya's

ways of communicating about art than

with the public sphere so that artistic

work is not properly appreciated

it previously has been, but there is

events may evolve progressively

or understood, and the extent of

much that is being taken for granted

and yearn for perennial maturity.

his inventiveness and creativity has

in a society inundated with images.

Kalleya fundamentally questioned

daily during this Capital of Culture

(Faculty of Arts, University of

the process of giving life to form on

year. There is so much going on, at

Malta) began organising a series

a deeply conceptual level, and he did

such an accelerated rate, that there is

of annual modern art conferences

this by developing the technique of

barely enough time to think about it

that address a locally-significant

driving a knife into clay rather than

critically on a personal level, let alone

theme with global resonances. The

sculpting it. He also experimented

develop alternative ways of debating

idea was to provide a forum for

with photography by creating dream

art and culture publicly. Controversial

analytic discourse to flourish.

worlds with the mediumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s realistic

commissions from previous

MAIN TAKEAWAYS

language. Despite being new to

years are still being lambasted on the basis of their ugliness and

The first conference debated

all the foreign participants, the overwhelming reaction was positive,

nonsensicality, yet we do not seem

the legacy of French sculptor

and many included him in their

to emerge from these situations.

Auguste Rodin as confronted and

essays following the conference.

Academia needs to focus on engendering further dialogue, critical Focus

been systematically underrated.

Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci

Think of all the events taking place

Trying to address this, Dr

expanded by sculptors from all over Europe, including Maltese artist

Something similar could be said when discussing modern ceramics

Frank Portelli, Still Life with Mask, 1957 Oil on canvas, private collection Photo by Peter Bartolo Parnis

and Gabriel Caruana’s pivotal

its infancy. The papers delivered

of reality, cubism led painting down

contribution to the momentous

offered significant contributions to

an unprecedented path of discovery.

historical trajectory of art. The

the way that the topic is dealt with

Despite its brevity, the movement

20th century was one of the most

historically, by studying elements

created by Pablo Picasso and

exciting eras for the development of

of space, composition, movement,

Georges Braque continued to cause

the ceramic arts within Europe, and

and pictorial qualities, all of which

shockwaves across the global artworld

especially the rich heritage of the

encroach on the analytic territory of

for decades because they completely

Mediterranean. At the time, Caruana

painting and sculpture. Caruana’s art

changed the function of pictorial

was an innovator who transformed

is appreciated as imperative to the

composition to that of a visually

the Maltese art scene with the energy

evolution of modern art in Malta, but

unintelligible thesis. The idiom was

and vitality of his ceramic works.

this tends to be recognised because

transformed and simplified by younger

of his abstract idiom (a characteristic

artists active in Paris at the time

mode of expression in music or art).

who developed an aesthetic termed

Reception of Lucio Fontana's Baroque

as crystal, or crystallised, cubism.

Continuum questioned concepts of

Maltese modern artists Frank

space and time, baroque principles,

Portelli and Esprit Barthet were

and contemporary aesthetics with

discussed in last December’s event.

cubist idiom to their local experience

the destruction of academically-

Both adopted the cubist aesthetic

of observing Malta’s developing urban

defined beauty within this sphere of

and reinterpreted it in their work. As

landscape and post-war cultural shifts,

art production. The study of modern

the first avant-garde movement to

developing a vernacular language

ceramics is a niche subject still in

radicalise the vision and conception

born from that of the influential

Portelli and Barthet adapted the

Focus

The conference The Mediterranean

Gabriel Caruana, Clowns, date unknown Ceramics, private collection. Image Source: Richard England, Gabriel Caruana: Ceramics, Melfi, Libria, 2001.

international movement. Although stemming from a deep respect for Picasso and Braque’s revolution, the Maltese artist’s importation of the term and style was both chronologically and conceptually distanced from its nascent form and the socio-political context of pre-WWI Paris. Portelli described his style as a form of crystallised cubism, linking him to the second generation of cubist painters in France. The situation reflects how visuals translate across cultural spaces, and the contingency of artistic meaning—when influential ideas expand beyond their place of origin. What emerged from this gathering of researchers were several common underlying threads that relieved the Maltese scene of several lingering contentions that had been reiterated ad nauseum for about half a century. The filtered, de-politicised version of cubism that the Maltese articulated, and the reintroduction of the narrative in painting that cubism had dismissed, was present in the work of all the other artists, triggering the understanding that a difficult relationship with a major modern art philosophy was not unique to Malta.

THE URGENT TASK AHEAD Malta’s modern art can only achieve relevance if seen and studied. Professional exhibitions that reflect various trends and studies within the art works are needed on a national and international level. Support from the state and large private entities is needed to expose these works to Malta’s citizens—currently Focus

many are found in people’s homes.

Yet art is presented as de facto important, meaning that it is inherited with a sense of authority rather than one of intimate collective understanding.

Nikki Petroni Photo by Zvezdan Reljic

General knowledge on Maltese

Yet art is presented as de facto

modern art is already very limited

important, meaning that it is inherited

because the subject is not delivered

with a sense of authority rather

to students from a young age, and

than one of intimate collective

current exhibition formats are not

understanding. Rather than â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;knowing

satisfactorily conceived as visual

ofâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; art, people need to get to know

essays that both educate and

art, converse with it, spend time

entertain. The risk of alienating

beside it, just like meeting an

people from their own art history is

old school friend with whom we

too great, and academia relies on the

share memories. These friendships

cooperation of various institutional

behold a sense of understanding

bodies to continue to evolve the level

that transcends time. This is the

of scholarly and critical engagement.

kind of relationship we need to

Maltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traditional and

foster with our art and heritage, an

contemporary artistic heritage is

essential link with a collective past

rich and there to be discovered.

that has shaped us as a people. Focus

Esprit Barthet, Rooftops, 1991 Oil on canvas, private collection Photo by Emma Micallef

TEXT FEEDS TEXT, FEEDS ART

Focus

A discussion on adaptation in film

Cassi Camilleri goes on a rollercoaster ride into the relationship between the Humanities and film with Prof. Gloria Lauri-Lucente and Dr Fabrizio Foni. Together, they unpack the debate on film adaptation and points of origin.

ith Oscar music still ringing

now-clichéd quip—‘the book was better’—has to

in my ears, I sit down to

be uttered by someone at the cinema within two

write this article. At the

minutes of the credits rolling lest the universe

90th Academy Awards just

should implode. All of this brings forth a plethora

passed, The Shape of Water

of questions: What is adaptation and what isn’t?

was embraced and celebrated, giving me great joy. Every year, this celebration of film makes me

think and reflect on what kind of productions are

To answer these questions, I sat down with two of the University of Malta’s researchers in the matter;

like The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside

Prof. Gloria Lauri-Lucente and Dr Fabrizio Foni.

Ebbing, Missouri and Lady Bird are making waves

THE MERITS OF MEDIA

the steady stream of adaptations: the behemoth

The duo hail from very different backgrounds.

that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe and all

Lauri-Lucente, is a lover of the Humanities in all

of its moving parts, the weird and wonderful

its shapes and forms. In fact, she developed two

The Disaster Artist, Call Me by Your Name…

programmes focused on the intersection of film,

hell, even the latest iteration of Jumanji.

literature, and the visual arts; the first is the Master’s

Adaptation in film is a strange beast. Production

in Literary Tradition and Popular Culture, the second

houses favour it because of the pre-existing

is the MA in Film Studies. Foni meanwhile is a

audience that comes with it. Fans of the original

cinephile and comic book nut in equal measure.

work are either thrilled to see their precious

Both are walking repositories of knowledge that,

stories reimagined, or filled with heavy dread

not so long ago, was looked down upon, sneered

for the very same reason. Critics, professional

at by scholars and academics the world over.

or otherwise, share similar sentiments. When the film is finally unleashed onto the world, comparison and critique follow close behind. The

Telling me about the very similar inceptions of film and comics, Foni notes how in their infancy, ‘Both were very neglected media.’ Lauri-Lucente nods in agreement: ‘They were both considered

Both are walking repositories of knowledge that was not so long ago looked down upon, sneered at by scholars and academics the world over.

inferior relatives,’ she says. ‘But it took a longer time to acknowledge comics as an art form,’ Foni continues. Even now, however, with comics being widely accepted in the art world, the road is still treacherous. ‘Some scholars are almost afraid of using the term ‘comics’ to actually describe comics. You now have terms like ‘graphic novel’, ‘sequential art’ and so on and so forth. But there is nothing wrong in calling them comics. Even if cinema today is digital, a film is called a film because of the ‘stuff’, the material, from which it was originally made. I think that we cannot focus only on those graphic novels which are considered as an art form because Focus

Top: Still from Red Desert (1964) Bottom: Alberto Burri, Sacco H 8, ca. 1953 Burlap, synthetic polymer paint, thread, and Vinavil on black fabric, 86 x 100cm Courtesy of Galleria Tega, Milan Photo by Paolo Vandrasch and Romina Bettega

is the role of adapted works in art and film?

being made and shown. So-called ‘original films’

this year, but my attention is also entertained by

Page Opposite:

What happens to a text when it is adapted? What

Still from The Shape of Water (2017)

a great novelist one day woke up and

adaptations, with the term very broadly

duo also quickly clarify that ‘fidelity’

decided to script write a graphic novel.’

construed,’ says Lauri-Lucente, ‘Literary

to the original work is not what they

texts metamorphosed into cinematic

seek. Or rather, fidelity should not be

derision that adaptations experience.

ones, cinematic texts that inspire literary

an evaluative measure. While film is

Newer art forms cannot hope to

texts. Comics. Paintings. Design—we’re

sometimes erroneously considered

be judged with the same respect as

interested in the metamorphic nature of

‘less complex’ than a literary work,

their more traditional counterparts.

adaptations. How a text is transformed

this is only because of the perceived

and takes on an entirely new shape.’

immediacy, says Lauri-Lucente.

This explains something about the

In a world where media practically engulfs us, it is easy to be lost in that forest, unable to see the wood for the trees and work through it.

Focus

‘We do not see everything in the

is the notion that in adaptation, the

frame. It can evoke images that lie

point of origin disappears entirely.

outside it... the hors-champs,’ she says,

‘Both of us, in our different ways and in

quoting Deleuze. The questions a film

varying degrees, seriously question the

can raise are as numerous as they

concept that origins can vanish and no

are complex: What lies beyond the

longer be traced,’ says Lauri-Lucente.

screen? What are the sound strategies

What happens to the story when it

deployed? How do they clash with

moves from one context to another?

the image? Just think about the way

When it shifts, spatially and temporally?

sound and image are used in the

‘Despite all the changes, despite all

famous shower sequence in Psycho,

the permutations, the spectre of the

the grating sounds accompanied by

original will still linger on, and haunt

the rapid intercutting of shots as the

what comes after it,’ Lauri-Lucente says.

knife is brought down onto Marion

‘If you cannot trace back the source,

Crane’s body. ‘Even the most lavished,

it is not adaptation,’ Foni notes. And

stylised mise-en-scène of such heritage

How can a film ever compete with

yet, despite the belief in origins,

films as Howards End, A Room with a

a book? How can graphic design

quoting Fredric Jameson, Lauri-

View, and Where Angels Fear to Tread,

ever be ‘as good as’ painting?

Lucente says that in an adaptation,

all inspired by E.M. Forster’s novels,

HALF-BAKED DEALS

filmmakers can actually breathe an

harbour inner turmoil and conflict below

entirely different spirit into their films.

their glossy surface. Viewers should

When it comes to adaptations, the

The debate that really has them talking

While acknowledging the importance

two researchers have their fingers in

of differences between the inspiring

many different pies. ‘We’re interested in

text and its filmic adaptation, the

look beyond and beneath what they immediately see,’ Lauri-Lucente says. This is where the importance of

Prof. Gloria Lauri-Lucente Photo by James Moffett

an overarching perspective comes

people seem to be surrounded by art,

fiction,’ he adds, ‘but the run of these

in, one that is open to intertextual

and yet consuming less and less of it

publications is amazing. They were

influences and contaminations,

at the same time. ‘What scares me the

immensely popular. They were

while keeping in mind the specificity

most is the fact that some students,

anticipating cinematic language,

of cinema as a distinct art form.

despite how easy it is to find things

motions, trends, philosophical

‘Yes, with cinema, we need to

these days, refrain from searching,’

issues.’ This thought brought the

understand its workings and its

notes Lauri-Lucente, ‘Sometimes

conversation back to perception

language—we have to be knowledgeable

tending to stick to the mainstream.’

and elitism in art which seems to

about the subject—but we need to

In a world where media practically

be common, if not prevalent.

keep our view as wide as possible when

engulfs us, it is easy to be lost in

discussing cinema and its relationship

that forest, unable to see the wood

dive into such dangerous waters,

with the visual arts, as well as all the

for the trees and work through it.

Lauri-Lucente has a revealing answer:

other art forms. How can you discuss

REFLECTIONS

‘Perhaps we’re masochists.’ She laughs

Antonioni’s Red Desert without also discussing the paintings by Antonio

When looking at different art forms,

When I ask why they choose to

and then goes on, ‘Why do we ask all these questions? Well, it’s the only

Burri or Giorgio Morandi? How can

comparison is necessary. The need

way you can breathe. It provides us

Freud’s influence on Fellini’s Otto

to question is essential. ‘One cannot

with oxygen. I wouldn’t know what

e mezzo be overlooked?’ questions

refrain from a comparative approach,’

to do with myself if I didn’t.’ Invoking

Lauri-Lucente. ‘We have to be cross-

says Foni. ‘I was harshly criticised by

the world of Blade Runner 2049, she

eyed scholars,’ laughs Foni, ‘We keep

some Italian scholars, as most of my

says, ‘I would not like to live in that

an eye on one track, but we also

published work has aimed to challenge

type of ambience where everything

need to keep an eye on countless

the denial of the existence of an Italian

becomes mechanical. Where there

others. If you cut off a thread, the

fantastic literature geared towards

is no place for the interaction of

whole spider web is destroyed.’

the broadest possible audience, which

ideas. It would be a very dismal,

offered a type of fantastic analogous

colourless world, wouldn’t it?’

We have to be more holistic in the way we look at the artwork. Taking

to that of pulp magazines, dime

into consideration what informs the

novels and penny dreadfuls. This is

For information on the MA in Literary

product. This is the mantra which

the case of many short stories and

Tradition and Popular Culture and

permeates their teachings. The two

novels published by popular magazines

the MA in Film Studies, offered by

colleagues express their efforts to get

such as La Domenica del Corriere

the Faculty of Arts (UM), please

students to immerse themselves as

and Giornale Illustrato dei Viaggi.’

contact programme coordinator

much as possible in any kind of art. They also worry about the trend that young

But it did exist, and was quite

Prof Gloria Lauri-Lucente here:

successful. ‘It’s a lowbrow kind of

gloria.lauri-lucente@um.edu.mt Focus

Dr Fabrizio Foni

Focus

My work centres on the co-existence of dualities. It treads blurred borders and investigates uncertain divides between opposing poles. It synthesises extremities and acts as a seam that binds together disparate realities. Uncertain of its own actuality, it questions its own being. Prof. Vince Briffa - Artist statement

CONFRONTATION CARICATURISED Prof. Vince Briffa peels back the layers of his latest works to reveal his thoughts on duality, confrontation and caricaturisation and how he translates them into art. has become more evident in the last decade. In

question, exactly opposite to

2011 I showed an exhibition of drawing-paintings,

each other,’ wrote Diogenes

photography, and video fittingly entitled Terrain

Laertius when quoting Protagoras

Vague, at the upper galleries of Spazju Kreattiv, St

in Lives and Opinions of Eminent

James Cavalier in Valletta. My most recent body

Philosophers. This makes us consider human

of installation art work, which I collectively refer

nature’s propensity of thinking in dichotomies.

to as the caricaturisation of confrontation, seeks to

Our tendency is to divide humanity and its

reflect on and further deconstruct this condition.

Prof. Vince Briffa, NAR-NIR (for AB) Text, plastic, paint, steel, CCTV cameras, CRT monitors, Human Matter exhibition, MSA galleries, Valletta, 2017

traits into stereotypical pairings: ‘us and them’,

Nar-Nir (for AB) was the first work created in this

‘good and bad’, ‘love and hate’. But this does

series. Its modest, modernist aesthetic, together

away with the rich profusion of shades of grey

with its silent presence belies the fact that this

within a spectrum which is bound by a further

work thrives on continuous surveillance—CCTV

concocted ideological construct for determining

cameras endlessly inspect the two immovable

what is extreme black or pure white. How

panels of colour. Due to the lack of movement

does one define colour in absolute terms?

on the two monitors facing the audience, the

The epigraph, taken from my artist statement,

distressing intimidation normally felt when one

provides the anchor that underpins my practice.

is under Big Brother’s scrutiny is revoked. The

This duality acknowledges the sundering

work is a comment on our inclination to gravitate

‘wasteland’ in-between as an opportunity for

towards extremes, particularly zoning in on the

unshackling, rather than a constraining threat,

Malta’s strong political divide of red and blue.

opening up the work to questioning. It also

Through what can be poetically described as

allows the work to embrace the many truths

a mediatic silencing, switching from colour to

bound by dogmatic extremities, even to the

grayscale, the work becomes a metaphor for

point of representing the same confronting

how both extremes are indistinguishable when

polarities’ flagrant absurdity through caricature.

reduced to their fundamental monotone. Like the

This ongoing preoccupation with the inbetween has dominated my work for years, but

impossibility of holding a private conversation in a noisy room, the installation’s constraining Focus

here are two sides to every

meaning. I Colori’s original intention was to redefine colour through meaning

metaphor has been central to the

extracted from contemporary society’s

history of art, from Leon Battista

cultural artefacts as commodity

Alberti’s use of the analogy with the

fetishism—the collective belief that it

emergence of linear perspective in

is natural and inevitable to measure

the early 1400s, to today’s multi-

the value of useful things with money.

dimensional ‘window’ arrangement

Alternately, Nar-Nir exposes the quiet

that permits navigation of the non-

depletion of the not-so-commonly

Euclidean realms of cyberspace. The

used colloquial superlative adjectives

window also physically separates

through draining of colour, in order to

the outside from the inside. As Anne

represent the unwary impoverishment

Friedberg tells us, 'it opens, it closes;

of the Maltese language.

it separates the spaces of here and

The second work in the

Prof. Vince Briffa

Focus

there, inside and outside, in front

caricaturisation of confrontation series

of and behind.' Its thin pane of glass

is the interactive sound sculpture

gives us hope, and provides us with a

Paned Window (Min hu barra, barra u

(sometimes false) sense of security.

min hu ġewwa, ġewwa), a site-specific

Like the soft shafts of light painted

framework drowns the colourful

work based on research in three-

by Vermeer, or the dappled pools of

attributes Nar and Nir (respectively,

dimensional audio interaction and

light entering the magnificent stained

the absolute adjectives of the red and

agency. The work was funded by

glass windows of Chartres Cathedral,

blue colours in the Maltese language) in

the University of Malta’s Research,

the work upsets the feigned stability of

voiceless obscurity by divesting them

Innovation and Development Trust

the inside-out distinction. It exists by

of their dominant characteristic—the

and shown between December 2017

feeding equally on the casual and the

vibrancy of their hue. Nar-Nir turns us

and February 2018 in an exhibition

causal activities happening both within

into colour-blind observers, depriving

entitled White Memory - 1989/2018

the walls of the gallery as well as in

us of all meaning and neutering all

Art in Malta and Poland, curated by

the public space of the city outside it.

cultural colouring that has taken

Marinella Paderni and Irene Biolchini.

Paned Window also acts as an metaphor

civilisations millennia to garner.

On a conceptual level, the window

Similar to Nar-Nir, the installation is

for the disconnection between the

Nar-Nir (for AB) also acts on an art

driven by constant monitoring, this time

art world and everyone else. Despite

historical level by referencing post-war

of the gallery walls’ vibrations and their

the persistent carelessness these two

conceptual artist Alighiero Boetti’s

source, as experienced through the

worlds have for one another, their

(AB) concern with colour and language

window pane of the gallery that looks

overlapping complexities would fade

structures in his body of work I Colori

out onto Valletta’s main thoroughfare.

into complete silence if this fragile

(1972), similarly appropriating the

The result is a complex real-time

stability is disrupted. Perhaps the

typical material criteria of the new

translation into sound, expressed

frailty of the glass pane can never really

redefinition of art, particularly sculpture

through an array of eighteen speakers

dampen the pain of separation except

and installation of the 1960s. The work

that confront each other. Viewers

in the safety of our passive memories.

mimics the material reconditioning of

walk within the space and not only

Boetti’s work through a similar use of

experience the space’s reaction to

still a work in progress. In a way, it

pre-fabricated lettering, commercial

their movement, but also contribute

synthesises the other two works

signage, plastic panels, and automotive

to the everchanging soundscape

through its use of sound and language.

paint, albeit to arrive at a different

through their very presence.

Fomm ir-Riħ, composed of four

A third interactive installation is

Focus

Prof. Vince Briffa, PANED WINDOW (Min hu barra, barra u min hu ġewwa, ġewwa) Interactive sound sculpture White Matter exhibition, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, 2017

Focus

NAR-NIR (for AB), Close-Up detail

PANED WINDOW, Close-Up Detail

Perhaps the work also acts at a more playful level, questioning the ultimate destination of language, symbolised by our own speech. speakers confronting four wind fans, is a work in

with the science behind this issue, it questions: ‘If

collaboration with philosopher and curator Dr Clive

our spoken word, as sound waves, are reflected,

Żammit. The project presents a dynamic dialogue

refracted and ultimately decay, having their energy

between four artists and four curators, in response

dissipated as heat, what happens to this heat when

to four writings by main curator Niki Young.

they are met with a cooling fan that is activated

Similar to Nar-Nir and Paned Window, Fomm

every time a word or phrase is uttered?’

ir-Riħ is pitched at multiple conceptual engagement levels; its aesthetic separates the two main

Note: Fomm ir-Riħ will be shown at an

components of the spoken word. The sound and

exhibition entitled Metafourisms, at Spazju

the wind confronts them, revisiting the divine

Kreattiv in Valletta in May 2018.

work also challenges the power of the word and

plays on the way we conceive confrontation.

Frieberg, A., The Virtual Window: From

Perhaps the work also acts at a more playful

Alberti to Microsoft, MIT Press, 2009

level, questioning the ultimate destination of

http://researchtrustmalta.eu/blog/ three-dimensional-audio

language, symbolised by our own speech. Playing

Focus

notion of the word as the breath of life. The

FOCUS

Of art and interpretation Interviewed by Prof. Raphael Vella, local artist Aaron Bezzina gives insights into what has shaped him and his work.

rof. Raphael Vella (RV): You're still young,

to participate in a collective exhibition. Everything

yet you've already shown your work

else I produced after that fed into my practice. What

in a number of important international

I have learned is that there are several branches my

contexts. Did your passion for art begin

work could be categorised into, and that anything

when you were still a child? Who or

I make falls under one or a combination of them.

what led you to start taking art so seriously?

Since I allow my work to move freely, new categories

Aaron Bezzina (AB): Art started out as an

emerge. I would say that each category is formed of

interest when I was young. I wouldn’t say it was

a collection of rules that the work (loosely) abides by. To a certain extent, my academic studies have

to elementary drawing and playing around with

also moulded the way I approach my practice.

plasticine. I wouldn’t even consider these things

Sometimes I react directly to certain methods

as art these days. At around the age of 18 I started

I learnt, or embrace other ‘unorthodox’ forms.

my first official art education, which eventually

While I think that one could still identify my work

led to a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art and later a

by some common traits in visual and conceptual

Masters in Digital Arts. The more I was able to

terms, these are not absolutes. Therefore, I do

learn about what art is and what it could be, the

not think I have found my artistic ‘language’ yet.

more I realised how far I could push myself. As far as seriousness goes, I feel that I cannot take

RV: You tend to exhibit mainly sculptures,

anything as seriously as I take art. Yet, paradoxically,

'gadgets' or installations that make use of various

art allows me to undermine the whole idea of

media like wood and metal but you occasionally

being serious about something in the first place.

work in two-dimensional media and video too. Do you consider yourself to be primarily a sculptor?

RV: When did you begin to find your own

AB: I would consider myself a sculptor as I tend

artistic 'language'? What social or educational

to acknowledge and work with the sculptural

factors influenced your growth as an artist?

aspects of any medium, however ‘flat’ it may

AB: What I consider to be the first contribution to my body of work came in 2012 when I was selected

appear to be. That being said, I’m not particularly concerned with this form of labelling. FOCUS

Aaron Bezzina, An essential step towards hole-iness, 2014 Wood, metal, clay, natural fibre rope, synthetic rubber tubing, fabric, polyurethane foam, paint and varnish Photo by Aaron Bezzina

a passion back then, as I was only accustomed

Aaron Bezzina, A GOOD CONVERSATION PIECE, 2015 Cast acrylic, vinyl, fluorescent light, aluminium, steel, paint, galvanised steel cable, stainless steel turnbuckles, 3 core sheathed electrical cable, timer. Photo by Aaron Bezzina

Top: Aaron Bezzina. Photo by Aaron Bezzina Bottom: Prof. Raphael Vella. Photo by James Moffett

Theory.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The theory purports that

by using precious materials, in this

to create sculptures was the

the anxiety caused by mortality is a

case gold, it becomes an object of

product of necessity, efficiency and

major motivator behind many human

desire. This is very different from

resourcefulness. The fastest, cheapest

behaviors and cognitions, including

the other contraptions that are

and easiest way to convey and

self-esteem, ethno/religio-centrism,

usually created from scrap wood

manifest the ideas at the time was to

and even love. The documentarians

and other raw or cheap materials.

create them from scavenged material.

tested this with a set of participants

The idea of using wood/metal

who were asked to hang a crucifix in RV: In 2017 you were one of the

of making members of the public enter

artists who represented Malta at

they were provided with was a nail,

this tiny chamber through a curtain

the Biennale in Venice, with a 'cruci-

thus the crucifix itself needed to be

in order to see your work in Venice?

hammer' in a small wooden room.

used as a hammer to drive the nail

What kind of feedback did you get

What inspired this work and how does

into the wall. Subjects who were more

about what they saw inside the room?

it relate to other works of yours?

anxious about death and held beliefs

AB: I think the enclosed space

AB: The urge to create this

related to the item were much more

allowed the viewer to have a more

seemingly absurd object came from

reluctant to complete the task. My

solemn experience of the work, making

the possibly banal idea of merging

work was not created as an immediate

it appear to have a spiritual dimension.

those two objects; the crucifix and

reflection of this theory, although I

The lighting enhanced this as well.

hammer. I intuitively sketched it out,

would acknowledge any possible links.

When people entered the room it

then jumped into manufacturing

FOCUS

I think that Untitled (cruci-hammer

allowed them to slow down and focus

straight away, leaving the task of

and nail) would be viewed as a

on one object with no other visual cues

figuring out how the work would

progression and elaboration of my

and distractions. We are accustomed

operate within the world for later.

series that relates to the body, usually

to behave in a contemplative manner

manifesting in contraptions made

when situated inside or in front of a

to the notion of using a crucifix as

out of wood. This is also an aesthetic

niche. I also noted that people were

a hammer in a documentary I had

experiment since the object is polished

compelled to whisper whilst behind

watched about â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Terror Management

and refined to a high degree, and

the curtain and in front of the work.

I later realised that I was exposed

RV: For you, what was the significance

the room they were in. However, all

Aaron Bezzina, Untitled (cruci-hammer and nail), 2017 Gold-plated bronze and wood Photo by Aaron Bezzina

is an idea belonging to the past.

tend to be structural contraptions

number of other recent works of

Contemporary art allows us to

that relate to the body and are ‘anti-

yours look fetishistic or religious in

take an analytical but distanced

interactive,’ intended to be engaged

inspiration, though it's easy to see that

stance on this situation. However,

with mentally but not physically.

your approach is quite distinct from

chances are that the outcome is

that of earlier generations of Maltese

almost always an ironic one. I would

two might not be immediately

artists, for whom religious themes

not encourage engagement with

visible, however certain underlying

came across as a more direct reflection

such subject matter though, as by

themes are always present despite

of faith. What attitude toward religion

choosing it it assumes the kind of

the different modes of creation. For

do your works convey? In your

importance it might not deserve.

instance, both works could be viewed as jokes at the viewer’s expense:

view, is there a space for religion in contemporary art and society? AB: The connotations of the ‘cruci-

The connections between these

RV: What about your use of

the first as a self-congratulatory

language in some works like A

statement and sarcastic remark, and

hammer’ could be regarded as a

Good Conversation Piece? What

on the other hand, if FTF were to be

criticism of Catholicism, implying that

connection, if any, do you see

operated by pulling the lever, the log

religion has negative consequences.

between your conceptual use of

with the carved smiley face would

What I am mostly interested in

words in some pieces and your

bash into the viewer’s face (hence

is the irony that such an object

more hand-crafted objects in wood

the acronym to 'Face To Face').

brings forward: firstly as an object

and metal (like FTF, for example)?

reflecting on itself, and secondly

AB: As I have mentioned,

I prefer to see my practice as one organism. Each work, distinct as it may

how religion (or individuals within

these two works fall under two

be from the next, still forms part of

it) is riddled with ironic instances

categories: A Good Conversation

a larger thing. Looking in retrospect,

that undermine what it preaches.

Piece forms part of a series dealing

I can understand my works better

with text-based work and a play

in relation to each other, making

no religion as it causes more division

with language, while FTF pertains

me think of the decisions taken to

and hate rather than understanding

to a collection of work that shares

manifest an idea—and how it could

and compassion. I think that religion

similar aesthetic qualities—these

be done better the next time.

In an ideal scenario, there would be

FOCUS

RV: The 'cruci-hammer' and a

Aaron Bezzina, FTF, 2015 Wood, steel wire, string, wheels and paint Photo by Aaron Bezzina

Feature

Letters, Networks, and Revolutions Scholars and digital technologists are developing new tools to study the exchange of letters amongst past intellectual networks that shaped European ideas, values, and institutions. Dr Jean-Paul De Lucca writes.

scholars and scientists to establish

invention of the printing

a virtual community that became

press in the mid-15th century

known as the republica literaria, or the

networks that grew from the 1500s

unleashed a revolution by

Republic of Letters. The collections of

onwards sheds light on the cross-

facilitating the circulation

letters of great luminaries, including

fertilisation of ideas resulting from such

of ideas, information, propaganda,

those who have since been relegated

relationships. As historians became

and discoveries like never before.

to the darker corners of history,

more aware of how relationships

Knowledge was democratised

played a crucial role in Europe’s

were forged through epistolary

as it moved beyond the confines

intellectual and cultural developments

exchanges that transcended physical

of traditional seats of learning to

between 1500 and 1800.

boundaries (whether faraway countries

reach wider audiences. Authors of

THE POWER OF LETTERS

or prisons), intellectual history and

Scholars and students of the

at the understanding of the past in

philosophical, scientific, theological, literary, philological, and historical

in the study of early modern societies. A broader viewing of the intellectual

intellectual geography intersected terms of both time and space.

works had greater and easier access

history of philosophy and science

to a broad array of sources that

have generally relied on books as

influenced their own works, and

their preferred mode of presenting,

prominence as valuable primary

they, in turn, influenced the works

commenting and connecting ideas.

sources. They occupy a unique place

of others. The surge in production

In recent years, however, intellectual

in exchange networks at a time when

and dissemination of printed books

history has focused increasingly on the

printed books were often subject to

and pamphlets spurred and shaped

context in which such ideas emerged

censorship or self-censorship. One

the great developments of early

and on the originators’ biographies.

famous example concerns a major text

modernity, from the Reformation

This gradually paved the way for

in the history of modern philosophy—

to the scientific revolution.

collaborative projects looking at the

René Descartes’ Meditations on First

Running in parallel with the

relationships and activities of groups

Philosophy (1641). Keen on avoiding

printing revolution was another,

of thinkers. Known as prosopography,

a backlash, the French philosopher

often overlooked revolution: that in

this analysis of collective biography has

decided to seek the formal approval

postal communication, which allowed

developed into a valuable methodology

of theologians from the Sorbonne

Letters have gradually gained

Feature

ohannes Gutenberg’s

before its publication. Although

objections and responses published

approximate time it would have taken

ostensibly dealing with metaphysics

as an appendix to the Meditations.

the letters to reach their destination. All

and theology, we now know through

The contents of thousands of

this information has proven extremely

a private letter that Descartes’

letters—many of which were never

useful to the scholars putting pieces of

intention was to smuggle in his

intended for public consumption—do

the puzzle together. The long exchange

physics, which, like Galileo’s, opposed

not only provide us with precious

of letters between two protagonists of

the prevalently accepted physics of

information and insights that enhance

early modern science, Galileo Galilei

Aristotle. Writing to Marin Mersenne

our understanding of their authors’

and Johannes Kepler, is a case in point.

from Leiden on 28th January 1641,

works and ideas. Some of them also

Descartes confided in the friar-

share ostensibly more mundane

mathematician that ‘between us,

information about their personal

these six Meditations contain all the

lives or seemingly minor events (such

foundations of my physics.’ He then

as the burning down of someone’s

begs him not to say a word about this,

library, or personal disputes). Even

for it would make it harder to obtain

then, important nuggets of information

the approval of ‘the supporters of

are to be found. Machiavelli’s private

Aristotle’. This letter leaves no doubt

letters to Francesco Vettori, for

about Descartes’ true intentions,

instance, are peppered with gossip,

and provides a crucial interpretative

reports on the author’s sexual exploits

key for reading and interpreting the

and rather demeaning insults towards

Meditations. In those same weeks,

common acquaintances. One of

Descartes engaged in an intense

these letters, however, provides an

correspondence—through the Paris-

important clue for dating The Prince.

Their letters have been resting in archives for centuries and have also been published in edited volumes. The two thinkers had been

The dating of works is just one

corresponding for quite some time

philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who had

of the many reasons why epistolary

when on 9th August 1610, Kepler

decided to exile himself to the French

collections are a wealth of information.

wrote to Galileo informing him of an

capital. An edited version of that

Letters often indicate the location of

astronomical observation he made

correspondence came to light some

their authors and recipients at the

using a borrowed telescope. In the

months later as the third of a series of

time of writing. They also suggest the

same letter, he asks Galileo to send

based Mersenne—with the English

Feature

Left: Louis-Michel van Loo, Portrait of Denis Diderot, 1767

Right: Dr Jean Paul De Lucca Photo by James Moffett

over one of his own telescopes. This

Europe makes it difficult to gain insight

impossible to visualise and understand

letter had taken less than ten days to

into the broader picture of the real

through print editions, not least

reach Padua from Prague, because

network of intellectual connections

because the partiality and selectivity

on 19th August, Galileo sent a reply,

at any given time in the early modern

of indexes limits their searchability.

telling Kepler that he had no telescope

period. Throughout the last century,

available at that moment. He did

some historians of philosophy and

Galileo, Descartes, and many others

assure him, however, that he planned

science, as well as archivists, have

is not new. Their letters have been

to build others after his impending

gone through great pains to trace,

resting in archives for centuries and

move to Florence to become the

identify, and collate entire epistolary

have also been published in edited

Mathematician and Philosopher of the

catalogues and collections.

volumes. The novel approach lies in

In the pre-digital age, the arduous

the fact that this information is being

letters reach their destination in such

task of letter-hunting relied exclusively

gradually brought together on online

a short time in 1610? The answer lies

on physical archival research and

platforms. The digital revolution proved

in another letter that suggests that

resulted in print publications of

a great asset in this mission. If I wish

Galileo was at the time availing himself

collections of letters. It was generally

to pick names or words in the letters

of what is today still a fast and safe

a solitary enterprise carried out on the

by philosophers such as Erasmus of

postal service: the diplomatic bag.

fringes of individual scholarsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; research

Rotterdam, Hugo Grotius, Tommaso

The Florentine ambassador to Prague,

interests. Reassembling these letters,

Campanella, or Jan Amos Comenius,

Giuliano deâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Medici, wrote to Galileo

as it were, could hardly illustrate the

the metadata in the digital editions

on 6 September 1610 to inform him

broad and dynamic environment of

of their letters on dedicated websites

that he had handed Galileo's letter

exchange they had created centuries

now works for us in ways that print

to Kepler. We also learn through

ago. Printed transcriptions and

editions never could. The emergence

Giulianoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s letter that Kepler was willing

facsimiles are often presented in

of digital humanities as a collaboration

to replace Galileo at the University of

chronological order but fail to capture

between the humanities and ICT

Padua, a move that never materialised.

the spatial dimension that includes,

experts has led to increased access and

BIG DATA TO THE RESCUE

for instance, the epistolary exchange

efficiency in archival research. It has

running in parallel between recipients

also paved the way for new research

and their other correspondents. The

questions and opened avenues for

network of connections is simply

further development of new scholarly

Grand Duke of Tuscany. How could

The sheer volume of letters dispersed in countless archives across

Network map by Scott Weingart Data from Cultures of Knowledge, Oxford

Feature

The information on Machiavelli,

Over the past four years, six working groups have addressed different aspects of the Action’s agendas. methods based on multilateral

This system requires designing new

collaboration. One key feature of

technological tools for standardising,

digital technology is that unlike print

navigating, analysing, and visualising

editions, the temporal and spatial

large quantities of data. In turn, these

elements can be brought together and

efforts feed into the historiographical

understood at the click of a button.

agenda which aims to engage with

REASSEMBLING THE REPUBLIC OF LETTERS

emerging technology and raise

Reassembling the Republic of Letters (COST Action 1310) is a collaboration

and devise new methods. Over the past four years, six working groups have addressed

digital communication technology

different aspects of the Action’s

researchers from 33 countries. Their

agendas. Several conferences were

goal is to develop an open-access,

held where the groups came together

open-source, transnational digital

to address some key stumbling

infrastructure capable of facilitating

blocks, ranging from cross-platform

the radically multilateral framework

compatibility and visualisation models,

needed to reassemble the scattered

to searchability issues resulting

sixteenth to eighteenth-century

from name variations (Jan, Johann,

epistolary documentation, and to

Johannes, Ioannes) and the very basic

support a new generation of research

question of what material should be

questions and scholarly methods.

included within the epistolary genre. The networking is open-ended.

of leading scholars working on

While relying on previous scholarship

individual authors and collections, as

and developing its own innovative

well as the cutting-edge capabilities

outcomes, the Action has served as

being developed by digital technology

inspiration for individual scholars

specialists. It provides a space for

and institutions to collaborate with

this diverse community to interact

each other on the digitalisation of

by sharing their knowledge and

entire collections of letters. The

respective ‘languages’, as well as their

promotion of crowdsourcing among

research questions and concerns.

researchers in the field is really the

The objectives are twofold. On the

FEATURE

to design the infrastructure

that brings together humanities and

The project relies on the expertise

the research questions required

reason why tools and standards need

technical plane, we are developing

to be developed in the first place.

a state-of-the-art digital system

A research group working on the

within which to collect the data on

correspondence of any given early

the Republic of Letters, sourced

modern philosopher or scientist will

from across Europe and beyond.

be able to contribute with far greater

Isaac Newton's letter to Dr. William Briggs, commenting on Briggs' "A New Theory of Vision", June 20th 1682 British Museum

ease to the virtual reassembling

a steady flow of correspondence

of the respublica litterarum.

within and beyond the island’s shores.

The development of scholarly

These included the geologist and

methods and standards, together

knight Deodat de Dolomieu, and

with the opportunity to network

Maltese scientists and intellectuals

with colleagues working on

such as Giuseppe Zammit, Ignazio

different sets of correspondence,

Saverio Mifsud and Giovanni Pietro

is proving important for my own

Francesco Agius de Soldanis.

work on the Italian philosopher

The Action’s final conference

Tommaso Campanella (1568-1639).

was hosted by the University of

Campanella’s 172 surviving letters

Malta at its Valletta Campus earlier

were published in a printed volume,

this year. Entitled Publishing the

edited by Germana Ernst, in 2010.

Digital Republic of Letters: Systems,

A digital edition (edited by Annarita

standards, scholarship in the context

Liburdi), based on this print edition,

of an enhanced publication, it

has been recently made available on

brought together the outcomes of

the Archivio Tommaso Campanella

the last four years of collaborative

(ATC), a digitalisation project of the

research, and finalised the work on a

Italian National Research Council’s

comprehensive enhanced publication

Istituto per il Lessico Intellettuale

that promises to serve as a first

Europeo e Storia delle Idee (ILIESI,

blueprint in this new and exciting

CNR) with which I have been

field of digital humanities research.

collaborating for several years.

The standards, tools and

My role will now be to coordinate

infrastructure developed in the

the integration of Campanella’s

Action pave the way to a better

letters available on the ATC into the

understanding of other periods

union catalogue of Early Modern

and regions, and to other genres of

Letters Online (EMLO), an ongoing

exchange. This unique multilateral

project of Cultures of Knowledge,

model for telling data-driven, highly

a collaborative research project

visual and interactive stories on

based at the University of Oxford.

early modern Europe’s transnational

Networking in the field of epistolary

intellectual history will also enhance a

exchanges could also open new

shared level of European identity. The

avenues for research closer to home.

question that remains is: where do

Early modern Malta was a European

we direct our attention to next?

members of the Hospitaller Order of

St John resident on the island and the

COST Action IS1310 website:

Maltese educated class maintained

www.republicofletters.net

FEATURE

microcosm, where both individual

Where does it go? A snapshot of waste management in Malta

Feature

As the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;no wasteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; movement becomes a trend and a force for good, Margaret Camilleri Fenech turns the magnifying glass on Malta to assess the local scenario.

headache, often digging up deeply-

of the waste produced by Maltese

not much loved. In the

rooted political divides and a sense

households, also known as the

early 2000s the problem

of indignation related to ‘not in my

municipal waste system, and where

became clear in Malta

backyard’ syndrome. The physical

that waste goes. In this way, we can

when the term ‘mini

separation of our islands from

determine where we stand and where

Magħtab’ was local slang for any

mainland Europe limits our recycling

we are heading with the new facilities

pile of rubbish. At the same time the

capacity and resale opportunities,

introduced as part of the Waste

authorities realised Magħtab could not

meaning that recycling companies

Management Plan for 2014 to 2020.

grow any higher. Malta’s ‘mountain’

incur higher costs to transport

had literally reached its peak.

materials—an island problem.

The hype, backed by extensive EU

The waste cycle is taxing—

Following these plans, we have seen the introduction of a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant, known

legislation, led to the decommissioning

environmentally, socially, and

as Malta North, which started its

of the Magħtab landrise in 2004,

economically. Economic costs are

operations in 2016. The plant, which

together with the erection of an

obvious and salient in the taxes

has a capacity of 76,000 tonnes per

entrance gate, the establishment

spent by the government to run the

year, includes an anaerobic digester

of a disposal fee, and a statistical

whole operation on a daily basis.

and a bulky waste plant able to

database that tracked waste

Environmental costs include air

handle a further 47,000 tonnes per

production. We also saw various

and sea pollution, including carbon

year, while its waste transfer station

facilities introduced, including

emissions, together with negative

can handle 11,800 tonnes per year,

civic amenity and bring-in sites.

effects on biodiversity and aesthetics.

and a 120,000 tonne waste-to-

Man-made waste generation has

On a social level, citizens suffer the

energy plant may be on its way.

exploded in the last 30 years, having

foul smells from treatment facilities

an unprecedented impact. A major

and the nuisance caused by collection

CRUNCHING NUMBERS

problem is one-way products like milk

trucks. All of these issues means that

In Malta, municipal waste accounts

and fruit juice in Tetra-Pak bottles,

treatment methods cannot be looked

for just 14% of total waste generated.

disposable shaving blades, and

at in isolation. What is needed is a

Although it is not the most prevalent

countless other non-durable items

holistic, cradle-to-cradle (regenerative)

type of waste, this waste is the

that, years after they are disposed

approach, starting from the product

most visible and troublesome for

of, can still be found in our landfills.

inception until it is disposed of

society. So, what happens when

For Malta, this presents a challenge

and, in some cases, recycled.

the country has 248,784 tonnes

with no straightforward solutions.

In a bid to amplify the conversation,

of municipal waste to deal with?

Littering spoils both the countryside

we have conducted research that

and sea shores, while waste treatment

defines the existing flows in local

of what goes on from collection point

is land intensive, creating conflict.

waste management. Using material

to disposal and recycling. Of those

Finding suitable locations for waste

flow analysis (MFA), we have been

248,784 tonnes, 175,003 tonnes

treatment facilities is a major

able to generate a detailed picture

(70.34%) are landfilled.

The MFA provides a detailed picture

Feature

he topic of waste is

Feature

2012 Material Flow Analysis (simplified)

2018 projected data based on system proposed in the Waste Management Plan 2014-2020 (simplified)

Margaret Camilleri Fenech Photo by James Moffett

Of the remaining 73,781 tonnes

circular; more waste will reach the

energy has become standard in

(29.66%), 21,712 tonnes go into

recycling market. For example, the

many countries, Malta needs to

recycling facilities, and the remaining

bulky waste facility is estimated

tackle its waste streams and their

52,069 tonnes are sent to the

to handle 9.7% of all treatment,

sources separately. Policies need to

Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant

will be divided between Refuse

be set for hotels and restaurants,

(MBT), which is able to process either

Derived Fuel (RDF) and recyclables,

hospitals, the manufacturing

mixed municipal waste or, ideally,

reducing the amount going back to

sectors, and others depending on

source-separated biowaste in a series

the landfill to just 5,885 tonnes.

the waste they generate. Setting

Despite all that, 38% of annual

up focus groups to assess these

steps. The input received by the MBT

municipal waste will still need to

situations would shed light on

is either landfilled (35,155 tonnes);

be landfilled. Correct steps are

existing and quickly implementable

further treated in the anaerobic

being taken, but Maltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s waste

possibilities to promote waste

digester (17,420 tonnes); or sent

problems are far from solved.

reduction and increase recycling.

to the Material Recovery Facility

The 2018 MFA should serve as an

The country needs a holistic effort.

(MRF) which treats recyclable waste

eye-opener to policy makers. The

Such activities need to go hand

like plastic and carton. This means

introduction of a 120,000 tonne

in hand with research. More studies

that in reality, 81.14% of waste is

incinerator facility will not free the

are needed on construction and

landfilled, rather than the 70.03%

country from the need to landfill.

demolition waste. More is needed

(175,003 tonnes) previously claimed.

We need to improve the at-source

to stop needing to dump waste at

A clear loss of material is occurring,

separation of biowaste and dry

sea which is ruining our lifeline.

particularly since no organic waste

recyclables. If the current trends

separation system is in place.

continue, facilities like the Material

social accounting are an absolute

A SYSTEM REVISED

Recovery Facility and the bulky waste

necessity, because, whilst Maltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

treatment will be underutilised,

GDP shows vast economic growth,

Proper environmental and

leaving more material ending up in the

this is not synonymous with

drastically change the scenario. In

landfill than needed. We need to make

enhanced quality of life. Focusing

2018 it is expected that municipal

sure we recover more material, thus

wholly on GDP disregards that

waste will reach 263,809 tonnes,

enhancing the lifetime of the landfill

the economy profits from the

out of which 45.49% will be fed

and reducing the demand for yet

natural, social, and human capital.

into the incinerator, eliminating

another waste treatment facility that

A sad state of affairs indeed.

the organic component and leaving

will surely be welcomed by no one.

The new waste treatment facilities

the remaining ash as stable waste.

In the long-term, households

Note: The project is a collaboration

With the other treatment facilities,

and companies need to reduce

between the University of Malta and

the system will become more

their waste. Whilst waste-to-

Universitaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Autonoma de Barcelona.

Feature

of mechanical and biological treatment

START UP

Start Up

So you think you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dance? 52

Stalking the President, fundraising, and improving people’s lives through dance is all in a day’s work for Step up for Parkinson’s founder Natalie Muschamp, as Dawn Gillies finds out.

with no cure. Patients suffer from tremors,

for as long as she can remember.

decreased motor abilities, loss of senses such as

Throughout her twenties, she was

taste, and ‘masking’ of the face, where it is difficult

performing all over the world,

to display facial expressions. It is sometimes

carving out a successful career. A

impossible to make the body do what you want it to.

decade deep, she decided to change gears, shifting

Muschamp watched her aunt react to the tragedy

into a career in media. However, it wasn’t long

with incredible courage, walking from Amsterdam

before she began to dream of returning to dance.

to Rome to raise money for the Dutch Parkinson’s

Muschamp decided to formally study dance as a

Foundation. Following this, Muschamp used the

mature student at the University of Malta (UM) , and

time she had left at the UM to research how dance

immediately began looking to the future. She knew

could be therapeutic for Parkinson’s disease.

she wanted to use her dancing skills to help others. 'When you’re younger and you’re dancing,

Looking at studies from the last 20 years, Muschamp found clear evidence that dance

it’s all about you’ said Muschamp, ‘but I realised

therapy can improve balance, motor function, and

that my ego had left the building. We’re not on

quality of life, imbuing people with confidence.

this world to think only about ourselves. We’re

Sadly, she also found that no form of dance

here to care about other people.' With this new

therapy was available in Malta. But Muschamp

outlook, she started combing through her options.

decided it was time to change that fact.

She considered how she might help people with

Research in hand, she contacted the Malta

ADHD and autism, but an experience closer

Parkinson’s Disease Association (MPDA) and asked

to home changed her life and ultimately the

for their support. They loved the idea so much that

lives of Parkinson’s patients all over Malta.

they paid for her to attend a training course in the

Muschamp’s aunt lost her partner to Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder

UK and helped to organise her first class. Together with physiotherapist and dancer Amy Dimech,

Start Up

atalie Muschamp has been dancing

Natalie Muschamp

they ran the first class. Four patients

However, she didn’t do it alone. She

work, she offered them a meeting.

and four carers attended—a success.

had the invaluable help of mentors

There, they showed her a clip of the

'My sister was filming it, trying not

Prof. Russell Smith and Ing. Joseph

first-ever class, and that was more

to cry because she was so touched.'

Bartolo (Centre for Entrepreneurship

than enough. She promised to help.

Everyone there thought that dancing

and Business Incubation, UM), as well

wasn’t for them, but that idea soon

as a wealth of support from sister

Malta Community Chest Fund

changed. With just one class, patients

Rachelle and best friend Ezgi Harmanci.

Foundation, which she heads. They

and carers could already see the

REACHING FOR THE STARS

quickly realised that to access those

benefits. Patients had improved

become a voluntary organisation.

'I want Malta to be the first

could only mean even greater results.

country in the world to support

Stacks of paperwork and proposals

dance classes for people with

later, Step Up for Parkinson’s became

organisations, one of the biggest hurdles

Parkinson’s and their caregivers in

official and successfully funded.

was funding. Classes had to be free,

the health system,’ says Muschamp.

and that was not going to change. To

With such an ambitious goal, they

They also secured funding from the Malta Memorial District Nursing

achieve this, Muschamp used every

needed politicians to endorse their

Association (MMDNA) to attend more

connection she had, and even made

efforts. But they didn’t aim for just any

training, this time in the US. Not only

a few new ones along the way.

politician. With Harmanci by her side,

did it improve their teaching skills,

Muschamp went straight for the top.

but it prepared them for some dark

funding.' Persistence was key. With

'We kind of stalked the president' she

realities they were yet to face: the

every presentation, Natalie grew more

divulged. Months of attending black-tie

passing of class members. When this

confident. She presented at the Social

balls and galas made them familiar

did eventually happen, Muschamp

Impact Awards and approached the

faces, so when they told the President

remembered the important lesson they

Arts Council and Malta Enterprise.

Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca about their

had learned, 'I’m not going to cure

'I knocked on every door for

Start up

funds, however, they needed to

breathing and mobility. More classes But, as with most charitable

She steered them towards the

Start up

'I want Malta to be the first country in the world to support dance classes for people with Parkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and their caregivers in the health system,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; says Muschamp.

For Muschamp, the class members have become family. them, but I can make their time better.' This funding has allowed them to address some criticisms of dance therapy. Currently there are only a small number of studies conducted on the topic, and with the MMDNA and UM backing them, Muschamp and Dimech will soon be heading a 12-week study analysing the impact the classes have on carers and participants, both physically and mentally.

SEEING IS BELIEVING Even with Muschampâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enthusiasm, convincing people to come to the class has been a challenge. Muschamp wanted people to see that you do not have to be a dancer to enjoy and benefit from the sessions. Classes focus on breathing, movement, and creativity. But overcoming shyness and fear is a first step thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s big for anyone. It is an even greater challenge for people with Parkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, who have the extra worry of losing balance at any given moment. Muschamp realised the best way to convince people to join was to show them how far others had come with the help of dance, specifically Dance for Health founder Marc Vlemmix. Diagnosed with Parkinson's at 37, Vlemmix started taking ballet lessons two years later, vastly

Start up

improving his motor skills and

confidence. Last year he flew to

All photos: Participants at the dance classes organised by Natalie Muschamp

Malta to teach classes and inspire

number of neurologists have embraced

and awareness. They will also

more people to join the movement.

the idea and are recommending

showcase the groundbreaking work

the classes to their patients.

they have being doing for patients

Two years of tireless work and

in Malta, with a performance and a

inviting healthcare professionals,

campaigning have paid off. '[At a

gala dinner at the Corinthia Hotel

politicians, and the press. They

recent class] I looked round and

in Attard. Participants have become

made sure everyone would want to

realised [everyone in attendance] was

so confident, they cannot wait to

be there, with the opening address

standing on one leg!' This might not

perform and show off their progress.

given by none other than President

seem like a large feat to most of us,

Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca herself.

but it means the world to the people

have become family. She has watched

Also speaking at the event was

in Muschamp’s class. It’s a testament

them regain confidence, rekindle

to the huge progress they’ve made.

romance in their relationships, and

Mildred Atanasio, whose mother

For Muschamp, the class members

build a community that they can

attends Muschamp’s classes. 'You do

With funding secured until March

not have to be a dancer,’ she said. ‘A

2019, the focus now is on training new

depend upon for support through

little encouragement, sometimes even

teachers and keeping the operation

their condition. From only eight

a lot, is all there is to it.' Atanasio’s

sustainable so that they can offer

people at the first class, there

mother has done so well that her

free classes. To do this, Step Up for

are now 60, but with each new

neurologist has urged her to keep

Parkinson’s is joining organisations

member, the challenge starts all over

attending the class. In fact, the VIP

worldwide on World Parkinson’s

again, and Muschamp is excited to

event was so successful that a good

Day this year to raise funds, energy,

welcome them into the fold.

Start up

Step Up organised a VIP event around his visit to help raise awareness,

lab to life

LAB TO LIFE

Every waking moment the majority of us are connected to some sort of technology, so why not use this portable fount of knowledge to continue learning outside the classroom? Becky Catrin Jones speaks to Dr Philip Bonanno and Pen Lister to find out how they are using smartphones and augmented reality to bring lessons to life.

University of Malta [UM]) first caught on to this

students are on a school trip in the

idea through a European Cooperation in Science

heart of Valletta. The teacher stands in

and Technology project named CyberParks,

front of the parliament, and begins the

which sparked public and academic interest in

lesson by… asking them to pull out their

the huge potential of digital media to transform

phones and point them towards the building to

the way people move and learn in urban spaces.

unlock the next video in the educational trail.

Particularly interesting to people was digital

A group of teenagers absorbed in their smartphones? Not the most obvious learning environment, but perhaps not as ridiculous as it sounds. Using digital technology to expand our

media’s accessibility now that the vast majority of us walk around with mini computers in our pockets. 'My doctorate is in both psychology and technology, so it was interesting to combine these disciplines working with CyberParks,' says

knowledge, otherwise known as mobile

Bonanno about the experience. 'We realised that

learning, is by no means a new concept. With

this ease of access to the technology and huge

the increasing specification and power of our

public interest could easily be directed towards

smartphones, we can ‘Google’ any question and

other uses. Members of the public could use this

find answers within seconds. Smart learning

to find extra information about their surroundings,

builds on this concept, allowing users to learn

look up points of interest, and share the things

about a particular location or building while

they found most intriguing about the area.’

standing right beside it. The use of technology

Teachers began approaching him following

in the classroom is not new either and has been

this project, asking for new ways to use

growing exponentially in recent years. More and

technology outside the classroom. Working

more lessons are based on learning through play

with Pen Lister, a current doctoral candidate,

with games and explorations on gadgets like

Dr Bonanno combined these ideas and started

tablets and smartphones. When technology is so

developing specific learning activities to be

portable, surely it makes sense to continue this

carried out on site using digital technologies,

use of digital learning when the lesson is over?

allowing education to flow seamlessly from the

Dr Philip Bonanno (Faculty of Education,

classroom, to the outside world, and back again.

lab to life

icture the scene. A class of history

‘The ideas behind our smart learning

Pen Lister

exploring alone. A prototype learning

physical or situational experience by

journey depicting the Great Siege on

using digital technology. This is made

Senglea point in 1565 was one of the

possible through a fusion of networking,

first created at the UM. Standing in

collaboration, exploration, and

Upper Barrakka Gardens, the learner

investigation,’ explains Bonanno. Smart

can direct their smartphone camera

learning activities can be developed

towards Senglea Point to see images of

in any discipline using a combination

the attack by the Turks, and compare

of Augmented Reality (AR) apps

them with how the site appears today.

and other online resources that link

High-resolution images of models of

with a smartphone. These are pulled

the attack were collated, resulting in a

together to provide content which

3D image which is projected onto the

can be triggered by the user through

Point through the camera. Combined

their phone camera, unlocking text,

with stories, films and other resources,

music, videos, images or links to other

the user can travel through 500 years

sources of information to learn more

of history and see what the siege

about the object or area in question.

might have looked like at as it was

AR enhances the user’s experience

is ignore the present-day hustle and

to bring an area to life, for example,

bustle of boats, cars, and tourists!

lab to life

One potential challenge of this

painting, or looking back in time at a

approach is connectivity, or rather the

complete version of a now decayed

lack of it. However, with the increasing

building. Interaction is also a key

accessibility of Wi-Fi, 4G data, and

feature. Users can add their own

other browsing data points, this hurdle

feedback to the material, describing

will soon be overcome. Another

their experience at the location. How

consideration besides augmentations

did it make them feel? Did they see

activated by trigger images is using

things differently? What did they

other less versatile modes of connection

hear or smell in that environment

such as GPS or beacons, small gadgets

which made the experience more

which can be physically placed in a

intense? This use of AR does more

location and send out Bluetooth signals.

than just simulate the experience,

The beauty of this type of learning

it immerses the learner in a hybrid

is that it can be applied to almost any

environment, encouraging exploration,

target audience and subject. A historical

experimentation, and conversation.

walking tour for tourists to Valletta, for

This is known as a learning journey—a

happening. All you have to do, of course,

at a particular location with its ability seeing beneath the surface of a

Dr Philip Bonanno

in-depth learning experience than

approach are that of enhancing a

example, or an insight into democracy

collection of content triggered by

and politics, with a learning journey

external cues that can provide a more

down Republic Street. ‘A current

When technology is so portable, surely it makes sense to continue this use of digital learning when the lesson is over?

collaboration between our team and the

entity. Significant resources need

Ta' Qali coordinated by a sports student

curator of Argotti Gardens is exploring

to be invested by educators to

maybe? Or perhaps an animation

how this technology can be used to

understand how to write and create

about recycling and waste disposal by

enhance the learning experience of

the content. Evaluation is continuous

an environmental sciences student?

botany students in the gardens,’ says

throughout the process to ensure

Bonanno. Smart learning designers,

that these experiences are user-

we empower them to create their

botany experts, and the students

friendly, and Pen Lister is currently

own learning journeys, improving

themselves are working together to

conducting interviews with users of

their understanding of their subject

create the learning journey, which will

the developed learning journeys as

whilst also making it accessible

involve a mix of prescribed original

part of a wider evaluation process.

for others with no background

content together with increasing user-

Perhaps most important, however,

‘By handing the reins to the students,

in the field,’ says Bonanno.

generated content. This is then linked to

is the collaboration between teams

So don’t ban smartphones in the

an online sharing facility, where students

of developers and other university

corridors or write off fusion between

can refer to information from their

departments, to really harness the huge

art-history and digital technology just

peers and gain a greater understanding

potential of smart learning. Particularly,

yet. We’re in the midst of a digital

of changes throughout the year.

the team is interested in allowing

revolution, and we invite you to join

students themselves to develop their

us in creating the next seamless

do not appear overnight and are

own stories based on their strengths

learning environment to inspire

certainly not the work of a single

and skills. A guided outdoor workout in

curiosity in a whole new audience.

Of course, these learning journeys

ARE YOU A BUDDING ENTREPRENEUR BUZZING WITH IDEAS? PERHAPS YOU’RE AN ACADEMIC LOOKING TO BRING YOUR RESEARCH CLOSER TO MARKET? IF SO, THIS IS THE FUNDING CALL FOR YOU! For the fifth year running, the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Businesses together with the University of Malta will be awarding a total of €100,000 to entrepreneurs and researchers to help get their ideas off the ground. The call for applications will open on Tuesday 24th April 2018, with a deadline of noon on Friday 18th May. Potential applicants must attend the Seed Fund or Proof of Concept workshops running in May.

lab to life

For further information visit http://takeoff.org.mt/seed-funds/takeoff-seed-fund-award-2018

Merging Past and Future It was just over a year ago that two University of Malta (UM) departments and an institute started working on LARSOCS, a collaboration which would see off-the-shelf drones revolutionise the way archaeological sites are being documented. In THINK, Dr Ing. John Charles Betts speaks to Iggy Fenech and explains what the project has achieved and where it is headed.

lthough archaeology is

be translated into site maps and

coordinator and lecturer (DoCA),

a field whose aim is to

three-dimensional (3D) models.

on the work’s applications. Flights

uncover our past (often

Research

were piloted by Żammit and Betts. The team was later joined by

quite literally), it is also

and Development Trust (RIDT),

one that looks firmly to

LARSOCS is truly the sum of its parts,

Masters student Mannaïg L’Haridon

the future to equip its practitioners

and has brought together an eclectic

(French National School of Geomatics,

with the instruments they need to

interdisciplinary team of researchers.

do their job. Medical technologies

Dr Ing. Marc Anthony Azzopardi and

and methods are used, as are those

Dr Ing. Brian Żammit (Department

from engineering and criminology.

of Electronic Systems Engineering,

True to this idea, the Department

Faculty of Engineering, UM) worked on

of Classics & Archaeology (DoCA,

the hardware design of an innovative

Faculty of Arts, UM) has spearheaded

control system with engineering

a project that will add an impressive

graduate Karl Galea. Dr Charles

new tool to practitioners’ arsenals.

Galdies (Institute of Earth Sciences,

The LARSOCS project (Low

Funded by the Research, Innovation

UM) took on image processing,

Altitude Remote Sensing Over

correcting the collected images to

Compact Sites) seeks to arm the

allow measurements to be taken from

DoCA with a series of programmable

them, while Dr Gianmarco Alberti from

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs,

Italy worked on image processing and

better known as drones), that could

analysis for 3D modelling. Finally, Dr

help document excavation sites,

Maxine Anastasi (DoCA) worked with

while also providing data that can

Dr Ing. John Charles Betts, project

Dr Ing. John C. Betts

Cart ruts at Clapham Junction near Siġġiewi

At the end of the first phase the

tandem with the written data record

windfall for the project, taking part

LARSOCS team had managed to

and drawings for further research,

in planning and carrying out the

operate their drones manually and with

or even to create 3D virtual models

drone flights herself. She produced

pre-programmed flight instructions.

to be displayed within museums.'

rectified images and photomosaics,

The LPS design is now complete, which

large-scale detailed images built up

means that in the second phase of

as a project, is still very much alive,

by combining photographs of small

the project the team will construct

and plans are being made to launch

areas. She also introduced the team

drones that are capable of fully-

Phase Two, which will continue

to the open-source MicMac 3D

automated flight at very low altitudes.

building on what has been achieved

software for image correction and

'The funding has given the

LARSOCS, although officially closed

so far. Betts and the team are already

three-dimensional model generation,

department some incredible new tools,

on the hunt for future applications

a programme that was not only useful

which have allowed us to create 3D

of the technology, including virtual

but also reduced costs considerably.

models, and digital elevation models of

reality tours, as well as design and

a quarry site in the Clapham Junction

manufacture of 3D-printed solid models

named Harpy, Hera, and Hercules—

area near Siġġiewi, and a 330MB-

intended for visually impaired people.

capture data from a distance, and

photomosaic of the Żejtun Punic/

present it in various forms: from

Roman fieldwork site,' Betts continues.

'By remote sensing, the drones—

realistic images, to false colour

'This changes everything. Until

'Although this was a small-scale project, it’s a force multiplier and a game changer,' says Betts. ‘And not just

showing variations in height, or point

now, we have mostly relied on

for those involved in Archaeology and

clouds used as the basis of virtual

drawings, written text, and traditional

its related disciplines. Collaboration is

3D models,' explains Betts. The crux

photography when documenting

definitely on the cards. In the future

of the innovation lies in the design

excavations that are reburied after

it could be used by others within

of a Local Positioning System (LPS)

discovery. Now, through the use of

the UM, across areas as diverse as

that would allow these off-the-shelf,

these drones and specific software,

geoscience and agriculture, IT, and

low-cost drones to be flown at much

we can have a very comprehensive

engineering and environmental studies

lower heights than normal, both above

graphic record of what has been

that reap the benefits of this work by

ground and in confined spaces.

unearthed. This can be used in

applying it to new concepts.’

Research

Paris). She turned out to be a

Culture

How will science judge Valletta 2018’s legacy? Valletta 2018 Foundation Art and culture are often deemed to be the realm of the intangible, subject to their audience’s subjectivity. Now, however, a team of researchers have stepped up to challenge this notion. figure has designed a methodology

inspiration from Jan Gehl and Birgitte

January Valletta’s year

to assess, and ultimately enhance,

Svarre’s work How to Study Public Life,

as the European Capital

the impact that the Valletta 2018

to assess the four neighbourhoods’

of Culture (ECoC) is

Foundation’s four major infrastructural

social components. We observed

now fully underway.

projects are having on the city’s

hundreds of patterns which we then

The city is livelier than ever before,

community. Under the spotlight are:

collated into distinct categories.’

with up to a million visitors expected

MUŻA (Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti), the

by the end of the year. Cultural and

Valletta Design Cluster at the Old Civil

they spend time there? Do they just

artistic events are packed into every

Abattoir (Il-Biċċerija), Strait Street, and

pass through? Do they stop to talk?

inch of the calendar and the city.

the Market Building (Is-Suq tal-Belt).

Do people bump into each other?

But what will the long-term impact

‘The four projects we selected were

How do people use the space? Do

How often? These questions all help

of this exceptional year be? Will the

purposefully chosen to have a mix of

explain how the neighbourhoods are

changes Valletta has undergone as a

public and private-led developments,

inhabited and experienced. Repetition

result of this title continue to be felt

geographically distributed all over the

of the study over consecutive years will

far down the line by its residents,

city,’ Żammit says. ‘The committee

show a clear picture of development

visitors, and investors? How can all

used a deductive approach, which

and change. In fact, this process

of this work be tested objectively?

aims to test an existing idea, and

will be repeated again in 2018.

The Valletta 2018 Foundation is

an analytical framework developed

The next step in the study involved

exploring the legacy of the ECoC

from contemporary urban design

focusing on key stakeholders in

through an ongoing process of

theory. For our baseline study, we

those projects. The team conducted

evaluation and monitoring that started

assessed the areas’ current physical

interviews with the people involved

back in 2015. A scientific committee

condition and the characteristics of

and then analysed the text, allowing

with Dr Antoine Żammit as a key

the space. At the same time we drew

them to understand the frequency of

Culture

fter a grand opening in

Culture Matters Seminar as part of 9th Pecha Kucha Night at the the Societa La Valette Band Club. Photos by Geoffrey Zarb Adami.

Culture Matters Seminar.

terms used and their context. Terms

Valletta’s own residents and will end

Such news is alarming for anyone

were placed into categories, revealing

up killing off smaller local businesses.’

who cares about Valletta as a liveable

each stakeholder’s agenda. And

Culture

city. Many of its longer-standing

make no mistake, each stakeholder

research also looked at development

residents are feeling neglected as

had a very different agenda.

planning applications being submitted

lavish accolades are heaped upon

for property in and around Valletta. At

the city and it receives a shiny new

head of the Biċċerija Design Cluster

this stage, a fascinating trend emerged.

makeover. To understand this shift,

project, was very interested in involving

Since Valletta won the ECoC title

Valletta residents were brought in for

residents in the project, and favoured

application numbers have increased,

the final stage of Dr Żammit’s research:

a bottom-up approach. This was

as have applications for change-of-use

a public participation geographic

reflected by the vocabulary he used

away from residential. While Żammit

information systems study (PPGIS).

in the interview. On the other hand,

notes that this all could be attributed

the interview with Antoine Portelli

to a number of different reasons,

concerns, aspirations, needs, and ideas

on behalf of Arkadia for is-Suq tal-Belt

including a change in government and

about a city. They can do it physically

was all about the visitor’s experience

the winning party’s very neo-liberal

or digitally, by mapping out specific

of food, drink, and retail. This was

approach, the reality remains that

categories or points of conflict related

a private, developer-led approach

‘Valletta is going from residential to

to livability issues.’ It turned out that

with no mention of the community.

non-residential. Though, it’s not about

key observations from this workshop

In fact, there are major concerns

retail, which appears to be moving out

had strong parallels with points raised

about that particular project: that

of the city. It’s about catering. Valletta

at the annual conference by Valletta

it may be unaffordable for many of

is becoming a catering destination.’

2018 and Design 4D City (an initiative

‘For instance, Caldon Mercieca,

Beyond the initial four projects, the

‘A PPGIS allows people to map their

All this work, Żammit hopes, will feed into future policies, creating a very real legacy for the ECoC endeavor. by Valletta Design Cluster). At both

that structures would be installed

events, attendees flagged problems

to enable the cultural community to

with pedestrian-vehicle conflicts,

expand beyond what it is today.

parking, accessibility for all, resident-

With so many important findings

developer conflicts, nuisance caused

from this research, it was essential to

by construction, public-private space

the team that the information be made

conflicts, vandalism, and maintenance.

immediately accessible and legible to

These voices are being

As a result, everything is available

scientific committee as well. Social

through the Foundation’s portals, from

anthropologist Michael Deguara

word clouds, to graphs and charts.

collected interviews from different

Dr Marie Briguglio

all those who have a say in the matter.

documented by other members of the

‘Policy-makers are the ones

communities around Valletta, as part

driving the government’s agenda, so

of a qualitative research initiative. He

you need to be able to speak their

found that residents who participated

language: hence the use of numbers

in cultural activities within the city had

and graphics,’ Żammit says. ‘They

an improved quality of life and were

tend to take the defeatist approach

happier. On the other hand, those who

where they believe that a natural

did not participate felt excluded, which

consequence of the evolution of a city

in turn made events going on around

is gentrification, renovating districts

them detrimental to their happiness.

to middle-class taste. But this may

Further research by sociologist Dr

be preempted, and indeed avoided,

Marie Briguglio sought to quantify

if different strategies are in place.’

'happiness' by looking at the impact

All this work, Żammit hopes, will

of cultural participation on quality of

feed into future policies, creating

life, giving a personal snapshot of the

a very real legacy for the ECoC

community through people’s stories

endeavor. ‘The current Valletta

and experiences, and providing a

strategy has a lot of shortcomings—

clearer picture of Valletta’s community.

it’s a short-sighted view of the

Looking at the main takeaways, Dr

future of the city that’s more about

Briguglio found that Valletta 2018 was

generating investment, while acting

perceived to be a good thing overall.

against Valletta’s long-term liveability.’

Participants felt that the Maltese

The solution? Put everyone, of all

will be proud of the event and thus

agendas, in a room and have them

of being Maltese and forming part

hash it out. ‘As urban designers and

of the EU. On the other hand, there

researchers, we need to seek ways

was some scepticism as to what will

of enabling and facilitating these

happen beyond 2018 and what the

discussions,’ says Żammit.

Dr Antoine Żammit

be. Residents were hopeful that some

For more information, visit the

positive effects of being the ECoC,

Resources page on the Valletta

such as the continual restoration of

2018 Foundation’s website or

Valletta buildings, would prevail, and

email research@valletta2018.org

Culture

legacy of Valletta 2018 will actually

Cyber-safety in an ever-shifting landscape Alumni

The threat of infection looms large in the digital world, but a team of University of Malta (UM) alumni have taken it upon themselves to create a cybersecurity system that acts quickly and responds dynamically. Teodor Reljic learns about CyberSift.

tweaking their methods to beat

of the ways in which such data could

cybersecurity,

the 'good guys' at their game?

be employed to more beneficial ends.

the adage

Well, while they do not claim

This starting point would grow

'survival of

to have all of the solutions, a new

to form the backbone of the entire

the fittest'

cybersecurity venture appears to be

CyberSift initiative, which, Raavel

gains an even sharper—almost

able and willing to give it their all

hastens to add, not only includes its

crystalline—technological edge. The

when it comes to addressing some

founders, but also a dedicated team

nature of the beast makes it so.

of the industry’s key lacunae.

of IT developers, IT infrastructure

The cybernetic universe is infinitely

AI FOR SECURITY

engineers, 'and, of course, marketing.'

its borders based on the latest

CyberSift was founded by Brian

'We wanted to create a system that was quick and easy to deploy

innovations. With this broad canvas

Zarb Adami and David Vassallo in

and incorporated modern AI and

of potential open to all, 'innovations'

an attempt to address some rather

machine learning techniques to glean

could either mean something positive

large elephants in the realm of

valuable insights from all the data that's

and wholly beneficial, or it can

cybersecurity. The idea to take their

being gathered. These insights help

signal new and destructive ways

own shot at shaping this scene first

the customer's security analysts be

for cyberattacks to worm their way

came about while the duo were still

more effective and basically helps in

through a system. Any system.

employees within the ranks of another

automating away the boring aspects

company, tackling a particularly tough

of these analysts’ jobs. This approach

comes in. How can businesses

project. The project was successfully

allows a customer to increase their

feel entirely safe on the web,

brought forward, but Vassallo was

level of security with a smaller upfront

given all of the digital landscape's

left frustrated with the cybersecurity

cost,' Raavel adds, before delving into

attendant vulnerabilities and the

mechanics available at the time.

the logic behind how CyberSift evolved

obvious dangers of tech-savvy

Throughout the course of the

from a concept to what it is today.

attackers who would always be

assignment, it became painfully clear

This is where cybersecurity

The cybernetic universe is infinitely adaptable, expanding or contracting its borders based on the latest innovations.

'The AI and machine learning

that large security systems raised the

algorithms were a product of David's

biggest red flags. Not only were they

studies and research while pursuing

unable to detect new threats released

his Masters in Computer Security

daily, but they also lacked integration

(University of Liverpool), and they

of modern data mining techniques.

continue to be improved and used

'This was alarming, given how

in CyberSift to this day. Brian

organisations worldwide are always

handled the business side—raising

shoring up vast amounts of data—

investment, identifying customers

hence the term 'Big Data'. In reality,

both locally and abroad, all while

they rarely use that data to its full

managing operations and marketing.'

potential,' Sirly Raavel, CyberSift's

Going back even further, Vassallo is

Marketing and Communications

very quick to emphasise the importance

Executive explains, as she guides us

of the University of Malta (UM) to their

through the company's journey. An

overall project. Having met as students

enhanced security mechanism is one

in that institution (though at that

Photo by Ritty Tacsum

adaptable, expanding or contracting

Alumni

hen it comes to

Brian Zarb Adami

time, enjoying widely divergent

the knowledge required for any task,

still needed to elbow its way through

academic paths) both Vassallo and Zarb

and creatively dealing with issues.

the market during its early stages.

Adami pride themselves in being able

SOME CYBER-GAPS

to creatively apply their early academic experience in ways that have now

the demand [from companies]. We had to answer questions like: how much would a customer be willing to pay for

of dynamic and well-informed

such a system? What would be the

UM has had is that it taught us how

professionals itching to address

major pain points they were likely to

to research, how to think, and how to

what they deem to be some of the

encounter when using the product?

solve problems that are not necessarily

industry’s most glaring imperfections.

Once we had a handle on these

part of the course curriculum or career

CyberSift's efforts become all the

questions, the next challenge was to

that you are pursuing,’ Vassallo says.

more important to consider when

build a working proof of concept that

This is directly reflected in the duo's

you remember that 'imperfections'

we could deploy to a friendly customer

eclectic research backgrounds. Case

tend to equal 'gaps' in the fields of

to make sure our idea worked. Users

in point: CyberSift is an IT company;

cybersecurity. Gaps through which

should be able to interact with the

however Vassallo graduated from

crippling attacks can worm their way.

system without needing an advanced

the UM as an electrical engineer,

In cybersecurity, gaps are normally

degree in mathematics,' Vassallo says.

‘The most important impact that the

Alumni

All of this paints a picture of a

'The first steps were to understand

company put together by a couple

yielded substantial tangible benefits.

David Vassallo

One of CyberSift’s key innovations

and even more dramatically, Zarb

linked to complacency. As Raavel

Adami graduated as a pharmacist.

succinctly puts it, 'businesses tend

is its speed of implementation.

While both disciplines appear to be

to think of cybersecurity the same

The sluggishness of previous

entirely at odds with the nature of

way they do about insurance. They

systems was always a bugbear of

the CyberSift project, Vassallo firmly

don't think they really need it until

Vassallo’s, so unsurprisingly then,

believes that their university experience

they get hit by a security incident, by

this was one of the first things to

contributed to making them great

which time it's usually already way

be addressed by the team when

all-rounders, capable of internalising

too late.' Despite this issue, CyberSift

bringing this new system to life.

CyberSift in particular is a behaviour-based system, though Raavel is quick to add that even this niche includes a diversified range of products. which downloads a set of rules and

that they are impractical,' Raavel

concern was to make sure that

flags a file or event as suspicious if it

says. She continues, 'Like any

CyberSift would be able to 'slot in' to

matches any of those rules. Then there

good barista would tell you—the

an existing customer network without

are 'behaviour-based' systems which

trick is choosing the right blend.'

any large disruptions, or causing a

take the time to sit back and build

In CyberSift's case, 'We need the

bottleneck,' Zarb Adami recalls, filling

a baseline of your network to get a

right blend of algorithms to make

us in on some of the nitty-gritty details

better idea of what normally happens

CyberSift accurate while remaining

of how CyberSift works in practice.

on there,' Raavel says. After a certain

responsive and not breaking the bank

'Almost any client already has

amount of 'training', these systems can

in terms of resources required.'

some sort of security infrastructure

highlight any behaviour which deviates

in place, be it an antivirus, firewalls,

from this baseline. This approach is

THE PERPETUAL FIGHT

and so on,' Zarb Adami says.

advantageous, since these behaviour-

Asked to single out some of the

based systems are actually capable of

most urgent cyber-security issues

logs. What CyberSift does is simply

detecting previous unseen malware

right now, Vassallo says that the

'ingest' these logs in a variety of ways,

as they do not require any rules—a big

biggest problem is 'helping defenders

'offering flexibility to the customer,'

plus in today's security landscape.

keep up with the attackers'. For this

All these products generally generate

and then applies its AI and machine-

CyberSift in particular is a behaviour-

reason, CyberSift favours a behaviour-

learning algorithms to digest and

based system, though Raavel is quick

based approach, because it can

absorb them, highlighting those logs

to add that even this niche includes a

'highlight those events which look

and sequences which are anomalous.

diversified range of products. 'These

suspicious even if they are brand

differences are mostly due to the

new, or 'zero-day' in industry terms.'

'So in reality, once a client buys CyberSift—which is either a server

type of AI we use in our systems.

on-premises, or a server in the

AI is a vast and interesting field,

and dynamic system appears to be a

cloud—they simply tell their existing

with sub-categories such as neural

'common-sense approach to battling

security tools to send their logs

networks, genetic algorithms, and

the constant threat of 'infection' in

to CyberSift,' Zarb Adami adds.

pure statistical-based methods,' Raavel

the digital world,’ Vassallo explains.

Raavel then goes on to outline just how CyberSift differs from other security mechanisms out there.

says, adding that, ‘Naturally, each approach has its own pros and cons.’

Favouring a rapidly responsive

'The challenge of the cybersecurity industry is that you can never just

'For example, some algorithms may

'fire-up-and-forget' a product [...]

be very quick to train, but have a lower

it's not a good job for people who

there are two types of security

accuracy—while other algorithms

don't like learning new things, or

products, each of which has their

may take a very long time to train,

being outside their comfort zone on a

niche in the security ecosystem.

but offer much greater accuracy.

regular basis. But if you have the right

Other algorithms may be fantastically

people, then it actually becomes a

accurate but require so many resources

thoroughly rewarding experience.'

In general terms, Raavel explains,

'There are 'signature-based' products—for example your antivirus—

Alumni

'To this end, the tech team's main

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With you wherever www.um.edu.mt/think

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