In some parts of the islands, if one looks closely at stones and boulders, even those present on newly excavated building sites, one may observe the presence of red earth. Red earth attracts attention since one is initially taken in by the colour, not much more. This is red ochre/iron oxide clay, a substance which was traditionally, in ancient times, used to create red pigment. And this pigment was used to colour decorative features on rock-hewn temples around the islands. It was even discovered at the Xagħra Circle in Gozo, buried in age-old tombs where some bones were visibly pigmented with the colour.

Red earth is the basic material upon which Gozitan artist Victor Agius has been working, in order to present the public artistic event Ħaġarna. Agius is a well-known ceramist in the Maltese contemporary art scene, whose conceptual works include sculptures and clay compositions, many of which already incorporate red earth. One asks, why is the artist so intrigued by this red earth?

"I have always been fascinated with the legacy left behind by our ancestors. The temples, the rituals, the traditions, all of which make us unique in our island identity. I feel that art should reflect and respect this interlinked heritage and this is why I came up with this idea. Red earth, also known as terrarossa is a precious and limited natural material that was highly prized in ancient times."

Ħaġarna is basically an attempt to revive several traditional Gozitan aspects that slowly risk being forgotten about and lost, along with the terrarossa. The project was presented in 2015 during a National Call - Art in Public Spaces. This was launched by the Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects, in collaboration with the Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Government, Arts Council Malta, Muża (Heritage Malta), the Ministry for Gozo and the Xagħra Local Council. Against the backdrop of a play of narratives related to various communities of Xagħra, Agius is working to create a monument intended to last in time.

To start off Agius sourced a boulder of Gozo hardstone from the same quarry which provided hardstone used for the Valletta Parliament building and City Gate projects of Renzo Piano. "The boulder has been divided in two halves and these shall be placed in a strategic location at the Xagħra playing field alias Carmelo Refalo Gardens. Each boulder shall be inscribed with excerpts from two Maltese poems wherein lies a direct reference to Ħaġarna, our earth. One poem is Ġgantija II by contemporary writer Emmanuel Mifsud, the other is L-Għanja ta' l-Inkurunazzjoni by the late Monsignor Michelangelo Apap who was also from Xagħra. The dwarfing boulder parts shall be set up in such a way as to allow enough space for a person to walk between them, treading over a glass sheet beneath which is a layer of red earth on wood. I invited children attending the Gozo College Xagħra Primary to get involved in the preparation of the glass-covered red earth passageway between the boulder halves. The experience of the walk-through will be especially evocative at sunrise, since the boulders' position will allow the rising sun to be channelled between their passage."

During the launch on the evening of 11 May, contemporary linking events shall be held around the village of Xagħra in a bid to involve the community. Agius has thought well to invite a number of highly active local groups to perform in tandem, intending to fuse folkloristic, traditional and contemporary aspects of the community through dance, music, re-enactments and social presence. The participating groups are Ta' Verna Folk Band, Għaqda Kumittiva, Xagħra Historical Re-enactment Organisation and Xagħra Youth Centre. Individual performances will be held at Ġgantija Temples Unesco World Heritage Site, Xagħra Circle, Santa Verna Temple and Għar ta' Għejżu. At a specific coordinated time, each group will head towards the gardens, carrying a recipient containing terrarossa. The red earth will be placed at the site of the monument where all will converge and celebrate the official inauguration of the monument together with the artist himself.

The entire event shall be a communal celebration of the passage of time, an active narrative in respect of traditional rituals that have been created by ancestral peoples in their own attempt to celebrate social moments of particular meaning. And Agius' public sculpture will be an indelible mark to remember this point in time while respecting the history and prehistory of this tiny Gozitan locality.

Ħaġarna - From prehistoric to contemporary narrative will be held on Saturday, 11 May at Xagħra, Gozo between 6.45 and 10pm.