25 minute read
From exhibition highlights to collectors’ remarks and the un- told stories of curators
COLLECTIONSYEARS OF
Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti’s particular talent lies in its rare ability to gather pieces from often priceless and treasured private collections for display to the general public. Over the past three decades, Patrimonju has gained the trust of numerous passionate collectors and collaborated with several individuals and cultural entities in its mission to raise awareness and
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educate through such hidden treasures. From the first to its most recent project, Patrimonju has aimed for ambitious, innovative, and high standards of quality in its production of sensitive and exciting displays, generating a great deal of interest among audiences as well as an enviable reputation, both at home and abroad.
COLLECTIONS
Commode, Maltese, early 18th century (Private Collection, Malta)
Silvered red deal and bombe-shaped, emblazoned with the coat of arms of Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena (1722–1736) and decorated with diagonal Maltese crosses.
‘Commode’ is the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century term for a chest of drawers found in principal rooms. Commodes are often more elaborately decorated. In the nineteenth century, the term was applied to bedside tables.
Antique Furniture in Malta St James Cavalier (Spazju Kreattiv), Valletta (16 March – 14 April 2002) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis Brown (grained to simulate wood) and gilt two-handed wall clock (Private Collection, Malta)
This clock is still in its original state, with a two-handed quarter-striking movement signed on the back plate by C. Pisani, and made in the mid-nineteenth century. It has a top ornament with three finials and the shield incorporates the coat of arms of a noble Maltese family. It also has a largish fixed bracket. The clock face depicts a seascape with galleons in the centre and flowers on the spandrels.
Antique Maltese Clocks National Museum of Archaeology (Auberge de Provence), Valletta (19 April – 16 May 1992) Photo: Daniel Cilia
COSTUME IN MALTA (21 MARCH – 26 APRIL 1998)
Edward Caruana Dingli, Margaret, Lady Strickland, née Hulton (1867–1950). Countess della Catena, second wife of Lord Strickland. Signed ‘E.C.Dingli’, dated 1930. Oil on canvas, 120 x 91cm, (Private Collection, Malta)
Edward Caruana Dingli (1876–1950): Portraits, Views & Folkloristic Scenes Grand Master’s Palace, Valletta (8 May – 6 June 2010) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis
‘Mandolino’ by Antonio Vinaccia (active in Naples c.1754–1784) (Private Collection, Malta)
Though lutes, guitars and violins were among the instruments that were constructed locally, they were also being imported during the time of the Order of St John, as attested to by this fine exemplar. This mandolino is composed of four double courses, tortoise-shell scratchplate and decoration, with bone and ebony inlay, and purfling, and mother-of-pearl inlay around the soundhole. The peg box features decoratively turned bone pins.
The inscription inside reads ‘Antonius fecit, Neapoli, A.D. 1767’.
Music in Malta: From Prehistory to Vinyl Metropolitan Cathedral Museum, Mdina (14 April – 16 June 2019)
Photo: George Scintilla
“ THIS NEWSPAPER RAISES ITS METAPHORICAL HAT TO A UNIQUELY MALTESEGOZITAN AND FLORENTINE EXPERIENCE, TO ITS ORGANISERS AND TO THE MINISTRY RESPONSIBLE FOR BACKING IT SO SENSIBLY. “
MALTESE PREHISTORIC ART. 5000–2500 BC - THE TIMES, 30 MARCH 1996
Gentleman’s waistcoat, 1790–1810
A double-breasted ivory taffeta waistcoat embroidered in multi-coloured silk thread. The back and the lining are in canvas. The waistcoat reaches to just below the waist and can be tightened at the back for a better fit. The high collar is embellished with silk embroidery. The decoration is worked around three salmon-coloured silk satin lozenges, applied onto the ivory silk of the front panel in between the two rows of embroidered buttons. A leaf motif in silk, silver-gilt and sequins is embroidered onto and around the lozenges. Rows of small embroidered flowers also adorn the waistcoat front together with two bunches of leaves.
It was only within the latter half of the last century that we had come to recognise that clothes speak a language of their own—an awareness that revealed itself world-wide through the proliferation of costume museums and exhibitions. With this exhibition, Patrimonju felt that it was time to update our own national awareness and outlook on clothes as well as rescue our costume heritage before the passage of time and the perishable nature of fabric took their toll. Sacristy Lavabo, 33cm (height), 14cm (base), 1709, Caltagirone (Cathedral Museum, Mdina)
The lavabo consists of a globular body with a circular aperture on a flared neck, with a flat-edged outward-turning rim. The ceramic body is covered in white glaze while the colour scheme used consists of blue, yellow, manganese brown, and copper green.
The lavabo carries a dated religious inscription, which occupies the upper part of the vessel while relief decoration is used extensively on the recto of the vessel. This is evident in the two medallions with masks in relief, placed on either side of the inscription. The use of relief decoration in eighteenth-century maiolica ware from Caltagirone increased the artistic content of these objets d’art. The originality of this vessel provides a sample of the kind of production of ecclesiastical artefacts found in the churches of Caltagirone after the destruction caused by the 1693 earthquake. The latter event also affected the evolution of maiolica decoration in a retardataire decorative style used in this example, with typologies which find their grass-root inspiration in fourteenth-century ceramics.
Antique Sicilian Maiolica in Malta St James Cavalier (Spazju Kreattiv), Valletta (22 September – 21 October 2001) / Castello di Donnafugata, Ragusa (9 November – 2 December 2001) / Palazzo del Seminario, Caltagirone (13 December 2001 – 27 January 2002) Photo: Gaetano Gambino
THE SILVER OF MALTA - THE SUNDAY TIMES, 5 MARCH 1995
Statue of twin figures on a couch from the Xagħra Stone Circle, Gozo, 9.3 x 14 x 13cm (Ġgantija Interpretation Centre, Xagħra, Gozo)
Contrasting the cache of cult figures retrieved from the Xagħra Stone Circle, is another remarkable object, this time of two obese figures sitting side by side on a finely worked bed. Carved from globigerina limestone, the statuette represents one of the pinnacles of prehistoric art from Malta, incorporating a three-tier supporting structure for the bed, and on the upper surface, displays curvilinear incised patterns comparable to the designs encountered at Tarxien and in the Ħal Saflieni wall paintings. The figures themselves are enigmatic. They sit side by side, their ample skirts enfolding them together. Both figures had long pigtails down their backs, and sharply cut bobbed hair at the front. The right-hand figure holds a cup on the lap, and the left-hand figure cradles a child (?), also dressed in pleated skirts. Furthermore, colour markings indicate that the figurine, which stands steadily by itself, was intended to be seen. It may have been placed in a purpose-built shrine within the megalithic structures surrounding the stone bowl, where it was found. (excerpt from Caroline Malone and Simon Stoddard ‘Representations of Death’, in Maltese Prehistoric Art. 5000–2500 BC [Malta: FPM, 1996], 50-51)
Maltese Prehistoric Art in Malta. 5000–2500 BC National Museum of Archaeology Ministry for Gozo, Victoria (31 March – 28 April 1996) / Palazzo di Parte Guelfa, Florence, Italy (8 June – 7 July 1996) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis Coffee pot, assay mark only MA, Cross above, 27cm high (gross: 980gr.), c.1690
A pear-shaped coffee pot, on gadrooned rim foot; its body cast and chased with baroque shells and scrolling acanthus, en relief, over partly matted flutes which continue in regression towards the upper rim; flat-chased with panels of foliage strapwork on matted ground, and repeated beneath the rim. The spout figures a male mask in high relief, surrounded by scrolls and demi-acanthus, with hinged shell-cover and female caryatid scroll handle. The domed cover is chased with large gadroons and converging foliage, with bud finial.
The silver treasures which were generously made available by collectors, private and public, represent a patrimony that had endured the severe test of time; it is not an exercise in sterile nostalgia but an excellent reminder of the sensibility of tradition. This exhibition combined the flavour of elegance with the enchantment of beauty, at the same time presenting a history of the evolution of silver in Malta. It, in fact, provided an insight into the art of civilised living.
The Silver of Malta Grand Master’s Palace, Valletta (31 March – 30 April 1995) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis & Joe Attard
“ IL-WIRJA TAGĦKOM QED ISSIR INDIMENTIKABBLI APPUNTAMENT TA’ KULL SENA. “
COSTUME IN MALTA (21 MARCH – 26 APRIL 1998)
Willie Apap, Female figure reading a book, oil on canvas, 69 x 60cm. Signed and dated, 1945 (Private Collection, Malta)
Willie Apap: Revelations Victor Pasmore Gallery, Valletta (18 October – 30 November 2018) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis Girolamo Gianni, Grand Harbour from Valletta Marina, oil on board, 20.5 x 51.5cm. Signed ‘G.Gianni’ and dated 1885 (Private Collection, Malta)
Girolamo Gianni in Malta National Museum of Archaeology (Auberge de Provence), Valletta (5 April – 30 April 1994) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis
“ A HISTORICAL JOURNAL THAT HAS LONG CRIED OUT TO BE CATALOGUED AND DEPICTED. “
MUSIC IN MALTA (14 APRIL – 16 JUNE 2019)
Pablo Picasso, Faun Uncovering a Sleeping Woman, copper plate, aquatint on Montval laid paper, 44 x 34cm, 12 June 1936
Picasso & Miró: the flesh & the spirit (collaboration with Fundación MAPFRE) Grand Master’s Palace, Valletta (7 April – 30 June 2018) Photo: © Sucesión Pablo Picasso, VEGAP, Madrid Edward Lear, Għar Ħasan, painted in the artist’s studio after an on-site watercolour, 17.2 x 26.8cm, dated 30 January 1866 (Private Collection, Malta)
Edward Lear: Watercolours and Words Palazzo Falson, Mdina (18 October 2014 – 4 January 2015) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis Antoine Camilleri, Study of Two Male Nudes (self-portraits), ink on paper, 40 x 32cm, 1973 (Private Collection, Malta)
The Devil of the Brush Palazzo Falson, Mdina (16 December 2017 – 25 February 2018) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis
“ L-ESEBIZZJONIJIET TAL-PATRIMONJU QEGĦDIN IWAQQFU LIVELL EĊĊEZZJONALI LI ŻGUR QIEGĦED IWASSAL GĦAL AKTAR APPREZZAMENT TAL-WIRT MALTI. “
PORTABLE ALTARS (8 APRIL – 7 MAY 2000)
Green glass scent bottle with silver lid and snake, 5.6 x 3.2cm, Birmingham England, 1897 (Private Collection, Malta)
Popularity and demand for scent bottles meant there was always a continual need for novelty. Scent bottles were fashioned out of every conceivable material from nuts to stones, creating flasks in almost a limitless variety of shapes. The creators of these unusual bottles even patented their original designs.
The growth of tourism in the nineteenth century provided a new market for scent bottle makers, that of middle-class travellers looking to purchase inexpensive souvenirs, and indeed, many scent bottles of the period fall into this category. Typical examples include opaline glass bottles with views printed on paper and set into the lid; German porcelain bottles were often topped with crown-shaped stoppers, and in Venice, many were fashioned from aventurine glass. Scent bottles are still very popular among tourists today.
Scent Bottles: From Ceremony to Seduction Palazzo Falson, Mdina (8 November – 31 December 2011) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis Gold and paste-set pair-cased verge watch, Salvatore Micallef & Giglio, Malta, c.1800 (Casa Rocca Piccola Collection, Valletta)
This temporary exhibition on antique watches called ‘fob’ or ‘pocket’ watches, was the fifth in the series of shows which take as their starting point an artefact or collection at Palazzo Falson, and build around it by loaning several other artefacts from Maltese private and public collections to explore a particular theme in depth. The appeal of such watches can be both in the technical advancements that mark it out and in the beauty of its visible parts, be they the dial or the outer case, which is frequently decorated with engravings or enamelled scenes. The watch featured here boasts such a case, and, moreover, is notable for its bearing on the identity of the watchmaker and retailer, in this case, the local name of Salvatore Micallef and Giglio.
Watches: From Timekeepers to Trendsetters Palazzo Falson, Mdina (6 November 2015 – 10 January 2016) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis Bracelet, silver-gilt filigree, 42mm (h), 68mm (dia.), 19th century, Malta (Casa Rocca Piccola Collection, Valletta)
Filigree in Malta has been worked from at least the Knights’ Period (1530–1798), but reached its apogee in the nineteenth century, becoming one of the crafts, together with lace and stonework, for which Malta became famous. Filigree with the addition of coiled ‘burr’-like motifs and granulation, as in this fine example, is called cannetille, and was particularly popular in the early nineteenth century. Furthermore, as is the case of the bracelet featured here, the addition of miniscule seed pearls, threaded in small strings onto the filigree, is typical of Maltese jewellery and draws its influence from southern Italian traditional jewellery, enhancing its value, elegance, and delicate appearance further.
Vanity, Profanity & Worship: Jewellery from the Maltese Islands Casino Maltese, Valletta (31 March – 26 May 2013) Photo: George Scintilla
“ BRINGING TOGETHER AND DOCUMENTING THIS WONDERFUL EXHIBITION IS A MAJOR FEAT WHICH THE FONDAZZJONI SHOULD BE PROUD OF. “
ANTIQUE SICILIAN MAIOLICA IN MALTA (22 SEPTEMBER – 21 OCTOBER 2001)
Carved lady’s head pipe, 11 x 36cm, Meerschaum, wood, silver. Silver marks for Vienna and maker’s mark ‘PW’, Vienna, Austria, late 19th/early 20th century (Private Collection, Malta)
Meerschaum pipes are highly valued amongst collectors, particularly if they have a deep golden colour which is acquired through repeated use of the pipe. Meerschaum is a light porous mineral which is quarried mainly from Asia Minor. It is an ideal material for pipes as it effectively absorbs the condensation in the smoke emanating from the burning tobacco, resulting in a cool dry smoke. The tars and oils given off stain the white Meerschaum a golden colour, and this gradually spreads upwards from the bottom of the bowl. Meerschaum is a light substance which is very easily carved. Indeed, the most beautiful figures, which may in actual fact be considered veritable sculptured artefacts, are those made of Meerschaum, with Vienna acquiring a monopoly of such carved pipes throughout the nineteenth century.
Pipes: From Habit to Art Palazzo Falson, Mdina (21 October – 12 December 2010) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis Enamel and gold snuff box, 2 x 8.5 x 5.2cm, probably made in France, 18th century (MUŻA, Valletta – Heritage Malta)
Collectors of snuff boxes seek to obtain the best exemplars of the different periods and types. The National Collection, from which the snuff box featured here was loaned, has been augmented with the Judge Parnis collection. Judge Parnis was a collector of all manner of small decorative objects and particularly snuff boxes, which he donated in large quantities to the Museum. The history of boxes and box-making goes back many centuries, but it is only with the discovery and importation of tobacco to Europe and the development of one of its uses as snuff that a very particular type of box became necessary. The snuff box sees its origin in the seventeenth century, but reaches its apogee in terms of design and craftsmanship in the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth century, with Paris and a clutch of Parisian makers creating paragons to which everyone else aspired.
Snuff Boxes: From Accessories to Objets d’Art Palazzo Falson, Mdina (25 November 2016 – 26 February 2017) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis ‘Marotte’ Doll mounted on whistle handle, 38cm, wood, textile, bisque, Armand Marseille, Germany, 1908 (Pomskizillious Museum of Toys, Gozo)
Whistles have been used in so many different spheres of life, encountered at every stage from the cradle to the grave. There are whistles which are given as gifts to babies at birth or to children as toys, others are connected with different types of work or with organisations, so show connections with bygone rituals of courtship and fertility, while others still are associated with hunting or the countryside.
The example shown here is a toy whistle for a child. Toys exist in a combination of whistle, rattle and pellet bells, and several of these have been handsomely crafted in precious metals or other materials. Sound producers were traditionally given as gifts to a child at birth, a custom which dates back to antiquity—sound-producing instruments which have been used by different societies to ward off evil.
Whistles: From Ritual to Toys Palazzo Falson, Mdina (30 April – 21 June 2009) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis
“ ONE OF THE MOST INFORMATIVE. BEAUTIFULLY SET UP. SO MUCH TO ABSORB. THANK YOU. “
PORTABLE ALTARS (8 APRIL – 7 MAY 2000)
Cotoner sedan chair (Żabbar Parish Church Museum, Malta)
This sedan chair was built at the height of the reign of the Roi Soleil, between 1660 and 1680. Perhaps for the first time, and certainly in the collection displayed in this exhibition, the chair displays the monarchial aspirations of the Grand Master of the Order of St John, particularly through the grandeur of its style and references to the blazon of a prince. Religion may have been a more appropriate subject for the excellent paintings en grisaille, however, Abraham—if it is Abraham and not a shepherd looking for his nymph around the corner—blends admirably into the general pastoral ensemble.
The Sedan Chair in Malta Metropolitan Cathedral Museum, Mdina (22 June – 18 July 1993) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis
COSTUME IN MALTA (21 MARCH – 26 APRIL 1998)
Altar in the form of a bureaubookcase, red and white deal, 269 x 290 x 158cm, mid-18th century, Maltese (Private Collection, Malta)
This exhibition consisted of twenty-two altars, representing six different types with variations of some sort. During the last half of the eighteenth century, the preferred type of domestic altar was the bureau-bookcase type, as is the example featured here. These are often painted and gilt in various techniques typical of the period. In this example, the reredos is achieved in trompe l’oeil and is attributed to Francesco Zahra (1710–1773), while the antependium is painted with Rococo floral and foliage motifs with a central medallion representing St Anne and the Virgin.
Portable Altars in Malta Grand Master’s Palace, Valletta (8 April – 7 May 2000) Photo: Peter Bartolo Parnis
A COLLECTOR’S REMARK
PETER CASSAR
There is no hiding the fact that I caught the virus of collecting from my parents, who have an eye for fine works; my mother, moreover, is an art historian. I was still a teenager, a few years back, when I secured an open-ended loan from them that helped me start my own collection! My interest is mainly focussed on modern and contemporary Maltese art and my collection presently includes more than 100 works by the most important artists from the 1950s to date.
The biggest kick I get out of collecting is when I find a new or ‘lost’ work that would have been known only from a chronicle or old photos—and I’ve had a few of those stories, including some major discoveries—and the excitement of visiting unexpected locations to see them in person! I certainly have no qualms in sharing my collection for public enjoyment. Quite the contrary, in fact, it would give me great satisfaction to do so, perhaps, accompanied by a lecture, a review in an article, and so on, with the necessary discretion, of course. Collectors deserve more recognition for what they do in support of our artistic heritage, and the livelihood of artists, conservators, and the art community in general, and I feel that much more can be done in that regard.
My dreams? At the rate my collecting is going, who knows? I might even open a private museum one day … it will certainly be worth a visit!
LAWRENCE PAVIA
My interest in Maltese stamps and seeing works by Emvin Cremona, Frank Portelli, Antoine Camilleri and other prominent twentieth-century artists must have spurred my interest in art, until I could afford to start venturing in buying small works. Luckily, my wife, too, has a similar keen interest in art.
We were lucky enough to have been able to visit the studios and become acquainted
JOSEPH AGIUS, ‘MY FAVOURITE OBJECT’, IN TREASURES OF MALTA, CHRISTMAS 2019.
View of a table setting from The Silver of Malta exhibition, Grand Master’s Palace, Valletta, 31 March – 30 April 1995. (Photo: Daniel Cilia) with a number of artists, including Antoine Camilleri, Esprit Barthet, and eventually several other younger artists. Visits to studios, art galleries, and auctions continued to temper our interest. We tried to keep to a theme: buying works by twentieth-century Maltese artists or international artists with a Maltese connection. In addition, our collection has a focus on Maltese self-portraiture and Maltese works by British artists Julian Trevelyan and Mary Fedden.
Art collecting is infinite and the joy one gets when one encounters a work when least expected is tremendous. Sometimes we do get carried away and the passion borders on obsession. Yet, it certainly brings joy, which we like to share with family and friends and, when asked, to lend works for public exhibitions too. We feel it is our duty to share these works and to preserve them for future generations.
Inevitably, one cannot separate research from art collection; one inherently wants to know more about the history and provenance of works one collects. This was the case when FPM accepted to publish my passion-fuelled research in the book titled Trevelyan and Fedden: Encounters with Malta and Gozo (2018).
A STORY FOR EVERY EXHIBITION
VICKI ANN CREMONA
Costume in Malta was an exhibition that, perhaps more than any other organised by FPM, brought home to the Maltese a hitherto unrecognised aspect of our rich culture and heritage.
The idea was proposed by Marquis de Piro, author and founder of Casa Rocca Piccola House Museum, at the same time as John Lowell, then Chairman of the Manoel Theatre, and the late Maurice de Giorgio, former Chairman of FPM, were thinking of creating a museum for the theatre. I joined this wondrous adventure as
Maltese costume and the artefacts on display.
A tangible result of this exhibition is that others developed the work initiated. Malta now has persons who have cultivated expertise in costume, jewellery, conservation, museum mannequin-making, and other aspects of this historical domain. The next step? A costume museum, of course!
FRANCESCA BALZAN
Some years ago, when I was curator at the newly set up Palazzo Falson, a tourism agency which dealt almost exclusively with visiting VIPs contacted me to personally take round the Palazzo a VIP and his family. Despite pressing deadlines, I readily agreed because the truth is I relished every opportunity to show people around as I loved telling them stories about the objects and the former owner. A historic house is crammed with these stories, and it is no use doing research if you cannot share all you discover with others. Anyway, this family arrived, and I thought they looked very ‘ordinary’. I didn’t recognise anyone, nor did I try too hard; I was enjoying myself so much showing off ‘my’ museum. They politely trotted along and took interest in my stories. I must have been with them for an hour at the very least.
Two weeks later I bumped into the person who had organised the visit and she thanked me for my time with this family, who I had totally forgotten by then. Surprised at my unimpressed attitude she said, ‘you did recognise him, didn’t you?’ No, absolutely not, and I could not even remember what he looked like.
Turns out he was a Hollywood A-lister, who I must have watched in countless films and then I go and lecture him face-to-face for an entire hour without even suspecting his identity. How could I have been so blind? I have eaten out on this story many times since! My friends cannot believe I was unable to recognise one of the most recognisable faces worldwide and, on reflection, he must have thought me a brilliant actress for not being at all phased by him. Poor man, if only he knew!
CAROLINE TONNA
The nature of museums today has moved beyond the objective of simply displaying collections to the public. The challenge for a curator nowadays is to keep the museum alive and relevant, to respond to the continuous influx of digital media, innovative technology, and global challenges such as climate change and a pandemic. At Palazzo Falson, our core value is the shared
an expert in theatre history, who also had an interest in costume.
The Manoel Theatre collection contained a number of nineteenth-century costumes, but little did we suspect that we would find a treasure trove in museums, convents and, especially, in private households! For over two years, we watched in awe as people brought out treasure upon treasure which either lay long forgotten in some drawer, or was still lovingly cherished.
We created a small team which was trained by two foreign experts, Nathalie Jequel from the Musée Galliera in Paris and Karen Jacobi from the National Museum of Denmark. They taught us how to apply the first interventions in costume restoration, how to clean and store them, and how to make mannequins that would show off the costumes to the best advantage and allow visitors to imagine their wearers. Patrons also generously lent paintings that helped situate the costumes historically.
The venue—the Presidential Palace—was the appropriate setting for a stunning display. Unfortunately, because of some official reason, the exhibition did not last as long as it deserved, but in the few weeks it was held, the breathtaking display amazed visitors and created general awareness of yet another aspect of Maltese life: its fashions through time.
What traces remain of this venture? A book, Costume in Malta, edited by Nicholas de Piro and myself, and a catalogue raisonné which I authored, aided by Evelyn Baluci. The idea behind both books was to provide as much initial information as possible about different facets of
L-AQWA Produzzjoni
ALTHOUGH RATHER UNUSUAL, THE THEMES SELECTED FOR
THE SMALL-SCALE EXHIBITIONS
AT PALAZZO FALSON ARE INTENDED TO SHINE A LIGHT ON LITTLE-KNOWN AREAS OF
THE DECORATIVE ARTS. THE STARTING POINT OF THESE EXHIBITIONS ARE OBJECTS FROM THE PALAZZO’S PERMANENT COLLECTION, WHICH ARE THEN COMPLEMENTED BY ITEMS ON LOAN MOSTLY FROM MALTESE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS. THE EXAMINATION OF THESE OBJECTS REVEALS SOME REMARKABLE STORIES, AS WELL AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO APPROACH THE STUDY OF HISTORY, TRADITIONS, AND CRAFTS IN AN UNUSUAL AND ENGAGING MANNER.
>> PP. 34-35
dedication of our small team of museum hosts, maintenance and cleaning staff, a formidable group of volunteers and the support of our colleagues at Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti. With their collective support, as curator of the museum, I sought to respond to current challenges and set targets to keep the museum relevant as a cultural and sustainable space for a contemporary society.
One of the successful projects is the installation of the Pollinator Haven on an unused roof area of the museum that has enhanced the visitors’ experience and helped to raise awareness on biodiversity, bringing nature and culture together. Our aim is to inspire other entities and the public to follow our good practices and play a role in spatial planning, and create more green spaces while maximising on the benefits for our well-being.
It is also significant that the museum is keeping up with innovative technology and has developed the first museum-based augmented reality game, Secrets of Palazzo Falson—a fun, interactive, inclusive, and immersive game to play. Our goal is to attract a younger audience to the museum which they can discover and engage with through the game, solving one clue after the other and moving from room to room.
Indeed, educational and career training is one of our strengths at the museum, stimulating our staff to advance their skills and education, and offer hands-on internships to international students. Research volunteers are also encouraged to take up research projects and are actively involved in specialised show-and-tell tours for the visitors. We are involved in several collaborative projects with various educational institutes (from primary to tertiary) and have a good relationship with the academic community, organising lectures and conferences together.
The bottom line? Working at Palazzo Falson is a daily challenge but an enriching experience, and it is a privilege to work with passionate and creative people where the highest standards are second to none.
