A project which grew out of another
David pointed out that the concept of ‘Other Malta’ had developed from his own personal Instagram account. “I began taking pictures of my daughter and my family and set up an Instagram account about my personal journey into fatherhood.”
He noticed that his pictures were becoming repetitive and wanted to add something different to them, which is when he began experimenting with collage art. He started adding stickers and collages to his family photos, and whilst getting such positive feedback he wished to take it a further step.
He decided to create another account, solely for pictures of Malta. David said that the project started out with a completely different name, ‘2DMalta’, reflecting on a second dimension of looking at Malta by involving childhood cartoons and stickers, yet the name wasn’t clicking to well for David.
Every piece has a different method of creation
When asked about the process behind developing a piece of work, David said ‘I do not concentrate on what’s happening in regards to political or current affairs in Malta, but what is influencing and affecting me’. Some pieces take only a couple of hours to produce, whilst others take months. What he calls easier creations, would only take four hours to develop, whilst another evening he would be able to work on two pieces. He goes on to say that sometimes he just sees something, thinks about it and works on it; the process is as simple as that. Other times, David would have an idea in his head, with the cartoons and characters and would be on the lookout for the perfect picture. He said that although he is not an artist by profession and finding time is always an issue, he is constantly pushing himself to procrastinate less and work on more ideas.
One picture in particular was including the Gzira’s 14 East tower and a crane which were being controlled by a puppeteer. David explained that he had the idea of the picture in his head for months until he came across the ideal tower and crane to finalise the idea.
Pointing out a picture including the symmetrical Fgura Church, David explained that this particular piece, unlike others does have a deeper story behind it. He said that although he is agnostic, he wanted to show through the piece that everyone has a choice, to accept any religions or faiths or to decline them. He explains that placing those dials in the middle and the hands above the church brings about the question whether the viewer is calling God or the other way around; and whether one or the other will accept the call or decline it. David said that he does not create work to gain more attention, but he creates work which speaks to him and when people do read the concept it is a benefit.
Inspiration and Influences
When asked what his main inspirations are David points out an instagram page in particular, which also uses a means of collage art and is the main inspiration behind ‘Other Malta’. The instagram page focuses on Post-Soviet Union settings and then adds characters from Soviet Union cartoons. David said that his main inspirations are using characters, characters which played a major part in his childhood, as he further explains ‘you imagine such characters being alive and part of your everyday life.’
He said ‘the work echoes my childhood, which truly pushed me to start the project.’ Now David looks towards other artists to see their techniques used to get their story across and constantly evolving in different means of telling a story. When asked about his style, it differs from simply adding cartoon or game characters to the collage, or giving the picture a more retro vibe, including geometric forms, he explains how he doesn’t wish to stick to a particular style but goes with whatever is best to get his story across. The more people know the character, the more the story is relatable to that person and gain a broader understanding of it
Collaborations and future projects
David pointed out how one collage piece would not have been possible without the collaboration of another photographer. He saw the picture of Marsasxlokk Bay and thought ‘pink flamingos would be perfect’. Due to the difficulty of travelling to such places on the island, such collaborations open new possibilities for work and collages.
Future plans for ‘Other Malta’, although the project is not David’s full time job, he wishes to push himself to produce more art, regardless of the daily challenges he faces. ‘To find time to work on ‘Other Malta’ is difficult, especially being a full time working dad of two children. I juggle work, helping my wife and then finding time to work on my art.’
Currently David is also providing prints of his work, ever since people began asking him where they could purchase his works. He said that currently the prints are not printed in Malta, but he is hoping that in the future he will find printing house in Malta, as for now he has given the opportunity for those who are interested in purchasing his work, like postcards or canvas prints.
He said that there are no concrete plans, yet the dream would be to level up and to make ‘Other Malta’ a family project. ‘In my mind, the idea would be to go beyong just selling prints, but to connect people’ David said. He wishes that ‘Other Malta’, like the works of Te fit-Tazza and Souvenirs Don’t Suck will bring about more creativity amongst Maltese and foreigners living in Malta. David isn’t afraid to change his style, as he describes himself as a ‘blank sheet’ changing and growing as he goes along, pushing himself more become more creative in his works.