Architect Adrian Mamo, together with designer Daniel Mercieca, were entrusted with creating a setting for the Malta Arts Festival, being held in Valletta until late August. Bernard Busuttil spoke to Mr Mamo about the concept behind his ideas and how they were carried out

One of the aims in designing the set for the Malta Arts Festival was to remove Valletta’s label of a drab city. Architect Adrian Mamo, who was responsible for the work together with designer Daniel Mercieca, said that he wanted the Old Opera House ruins and Freedom Square to be transformed into colourful venues for the three-week festival.

He said that interventions to render the sites more beautiful were multi-levelled. Mr Mamo and Mr Mercieca were inspired by the site itself and by the elements of the festival, its scale and colour.

Speaking of colour, Mr Mamo said that the first aim of the project was to give more colour to the sites. “The problem with the location,” Mr Mamo said, “is that it is monochromatic, that is it is based on a single colour. We tried to take away this feature by introducing lights and colourful banners which take away monotony and introduce colour, thus making the place more interesting.”

The second aim was to enhance the characteristics of the site and not creating something new by hiding them. Mr Mamo believes that, by enhancing the sites, people will get a new experience out of these places. Thus, emphasis, was focused on lighting the places while using the original basis.

This approach was very much used on the entrance to the Old Opera House ruins. Passers-by have certainly noticed the large image overhanging the original entrance of the former Royal Opera House. Mr Mamo said that the idea behind the image is that patrons retrace the steps of the opera house’s habitués who used to go up through those stairs. The image was obtained from a collage of bits and pieces around the site that are still intact.

He said that there were different reactions to the image. Some people thought that the image hung on scaffoldings was a sign that the construction of the Opera House will be shortly underway. Elderly people went up the stairs and remembered the old days when the structure dominated the City’s main entrance. Mr Mamo said that his creation in no way is a call for the reconstruction of the theatre and it was just a way of enhancing the dilapidated site.

Greenery was also a priority in Mr Mamo’s plan. “Even the bleakest of cities have got a green area and we have tried in our design to introduce a green oasis in Freedom Square.” The ‘green oasis’ is housing the sculpture garden which houses over 30 works by local artists. The garden surrounds a small performance area for short concerts, readings and mini-concerts.

Mr Mamo explained also his approach at giving to the site a touch of theatre. “In theatre one can afford to be bigger, louder and this theatrical element can be clearly seen in the re-constructed façade.”

The architect also said that he did not like the setting to be utilitarian. He said that the festival’s setting should not be just a stage, some lights and sound. In his plans, Mr Mamo tried to hide as much as possible the equipment used for the mounting of sets. “The trucks and generators are there to provide services to the festival and should not be an eyesore.”

Interaction is a central theme for the festival. Its’ very aim is to provide “art for all” and Mr Mamo took this into consideration. He said that the sculpture garden that houses a live demonstration of modelling in clay was designed with interaction in mind. The needs of kids were taken care of as a 4-metre high Magic Tree was constructed for children to climb on. Those who succeed to reach the top, will carry home a butterfly, which is this year’s festival logo.

Architect Mamo concluded by saying that the project would not have been put up were not for the collaboration of the festival director Lino Farrugia and the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts in collaboration with the Ministry for Tourism and Culture.

The Arts Festival is supported by HSBC Bank Malta plc, the Valletta local council, Bank of Valletta plc and the Westin Dragonara Resort.