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Callous Physical Theatre
  • About
    • The Work of Art: A Manifesto
    • About the Directors
    • Joséphine A. Garibaldi
    • Paul Zmolek
    • Collaborators
    • Articles & Presentations
    • Callous Thoughts (Blog)
    • Contact Us
  • Current & Recent
    • paulyrhythms
    • Gozo 2023
    • Mission Street Arts
    • Cagevent 2{020}2
    • The Sable Project 2021
    • Runescores (2020)
    • Pattern Bald Patterns 2020-21
  • Intermedia Projects
    • Artists in Residence >
      • Gozo 2023
      • Mission Street Arts
      • The Sable Project 2021
      • Buinho Creative Hub
      • SERDE, Aizpute, Latvia
      • Vanha Paukku, Lapua Finland
      • Cowwarr Art Space 2016
      • Fulbright in Riga, Latvia
      • Arteles Residency - 2012
      • Arte Studio Ginestrelle
    • Intermedia Performance >
      • Cagevent 2{020}2 >
        • Cagevent sound scores
        • Cagevent original texts
        • Cagevent mutated texts
      • Runescores (2020) >
        • Runescore 1 Mannaz
        • Runescore 2 Gebo
        • Runescore 3 Ansuz
        • Runescore 4 Othila
        • Runescore 5 Uruz
        • Runescore 6 Perth
        • Runescore 7 Nauthiz
        • Runescore 8 Inguz
        • Runescore 9 Eiwaz
        • Runescore 10 Algiz
        • Runescore 11 Fehu
        • Runescore 12 Wunjo
        • Runescore 13 Jera
        • Runescore 14 Kano
        • Runescore 15 Teiwaz
        • Runescore 16 Berkana
        • Runescore 17 Ehwaz
        • Runescore 18 Laguz
        • Runescore 19 Hagalaz
        • Runescore 20 Raido
        • Runescore 21 Thurisaz
        • Runescore 22 Dagaz
        • Runescore 23 Isa
        • Runescore 24 Sowelu
        • Runescore 25 Odin
      • Pattern Bald Patterns 2020-21
      • Buinho Stop Motion Videos
      • LPL Modular Play >
        • LPL MP Process
        • LPL MP Text
        • Performance Iterations >
          • reactivating exquisite corpse
          • Virtually Real
          • Clusterflock Ritual
        • LPL MP Collaborators
      • SERDE Istabas
      • Time the great unleveler
      • Aizpute stop-motion videos
      • Nameless, but in sight
      • The Great Finnish Licorice Taste Test
      • The Place Where I Start
      • Ghost Town: Pareidolia
      • Laptop Performance Laboratory
      • Global Corporeality
      • Sometimes it works, Sometimes it doesn't
    • InterMedia Installations >
      • Illuminating Site Birdsong >
        • Illuminating Site Birdsong Lanterns
        • Illuminating Site - Birdsong Window Gardens
        • Illuminating Site Star Pasture
      • Illuminating Site - Messejana, Portugal >
        • Illuminating Site Lanterns
      • House of Morgado in a Jar
      • Birch Loops
      • Arteles Residency - 2012
      • Appartengono-Ginestrelle
      • Altars - Ginestrelle 2011
    • Site Specific Works
    • Site Specific Festivals >
      • Kontaining/Ptarmigan
      • Big Dance/Little Space
      • Headlines
      • Train
      • SiteWorks 2009
      • SiteWorks 2006
    • Photo Essays >
      • Pattern Bald Patterns 2020-21
      • The Great Finnish Licorice Taste Test
      • Cobblestones, Riga 2014
      • The Birds of Kuldīga, Latvia 2014
      • Soil, Finland 2012
      • Bogs, Finland 2012
      • Ice Rink, Finland 2012
      • Birch Grove, Finland 2012
      • Understory, Finland 2012
      • Orange Poles, Finland 2012
      • Birch Close Up, Finland 2012
      • Wall Blur, Finland 2012
  • Theatrical Works
    • Joint Theatrical Works >
      • Stories from the Park
      • Grass is Green
      • Rue for Ophelia
      • Double Blind Sided
      • The Rule of Life
      • Landscaping for Privacy
      • Shaking the Yoke
      • XY
      • On the Backs of Our Mothers
      • Migrant
      • Grudge Match
      • Grudge Match: ReMatch
      • Subcutaneous
      • Zaum: Beyond Significance
      • In God We Trust
      • world forgetting by the world forgot
      • Mystical Bedlam
    • Garibaldi Repertory Works >
      • Realm of Shades (2014)
      • Masquerade (2013)
      • Suits (2012)
      • Forbidden Fruit (2011)
      • Push (2010)
      • At the Threshold (2009)
      • Something's Fishy (2006)
      • Anticipatory Illumination (2004)
    • Zmolek Repertory Works >
      • InDecision (2016)
      • Alone Together (2016)
      • Songs of Europe (2015)
      • I hear the noise of many waters (2014)
      • Tombo e Guerreiro (2013)
      • Zaum Etude #7 (2012)
      • They Stole a Necklace of 5 Million Pearls (2011)
      • Home is Where You Are (2009)
      • Something's Fishy (2006)
      • Not Yet Become (2006)
      • virtually At this moment In real time (1999)

14 Feb - Goodbye Gozo

16/2/2023

 
Since our first artist residency in 2011 at Arte Studio Ginestrelle in the national park outside of Assisi, we have pursued a "Sense of Place" during international artist residencies. Ideally we have been able to collaborate with generational members of small rural villages to artistically explore their apartengono (Italian: a sense of belonging) within their community.
 
This search of a Sense of Place is driven by our own experience. We have moved several times throughout our career, leading to a sense of rootlessness. Looking forward to settling down for retirement we realize that there really is nowhere that provides us with real apartengono. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, we are looking for a place where there is a there there. As Paul asked in his 2008 Migrant, "Where is home?", "Where are the anchors?"
 
Ours is a young country, with few physical connections to ancestral heritage. As Americans we don't have ancient monuments like the Neolithic temple ruins of Malta, nor the equivalent of medieval castles (unless one remembers the Ancestral Puebloan ruins of the Southwest, which are usually overlooked as part of our American heritage). Rather, ours is a culture that is "on the move", whose monuments are to the first drive-in restaurant. 
 
Gozo and Malta retain stone anchors to the ancient past yet they are a new nation (independence in 1964) buffeted by the same rapidly changing realities of 21st century technology, economy, climate and politics as the rest of the world. Several people shared their perception that Gozo has noticeably changed over the past decade. There were some wonderful moments throughout our stay when random Gozitans we met made us feel truly welcomed, but we wish we would have experienced something more akin to the gracious hospitality provided by Arthall, and the community created by Arthall, in a sustained fashion throughout the bulk of our residency. As it was, we were happy that the residency was over, and we spent Valentine's Day flying back home.
 
We are left with the realization that our quest to discover apartengono shared by contented generational members of an old world small community unchanged by the economic and political realities of the 21st century is as naive and absurdly romantic as Rousseau's imagined "noble savage" of the new world.

10 Feb - Arthall Event on the Feast of the Shipwreck

11/2/2023

 
A lull in the weather and we were able to bring Jo's assemblage/print/rubbing work to Arthall to install for the event. Marta and Tomas were there - helping to decide what goes where and how to set up the video projector best for viewing. Afterwards we stopped at a cafe for lunch and immediately felt the exhaustion of the push to finish. Then back to the apartment for a nap.
 
10 February is the Maltese holiday of the Feast of St. Paul's Shipwreck. And the weather was very in keeping with the holiday - rain, wind, ferry crossings canceled, warnings for people to not go out - we contacted Marta and asked if she would prefer to postpone until Saturday but she decided to go ahead as scheduled.
 
In spite of the weather there were 9 people who came. We shared 3 of our eight videos created during the residency and they were well received. Afterwards Marta took people to tour the basement where the videos were shot. The floor of the shaft was wet but the ghost room had become a wading pool with water at least a foot deep. They must have some sort of artesian well under the building that was overwhelmed by all the rain we have had.
 
Some friends of theirs invited us to their beautiful old house for drinks, food and lively discussion. There were no Maltese or Gozitans - all ex-pats - two Swedes, a Spaniard, a Pole from Australia, and an American.  We stayed out much later than we are used to (the nap was very helpful!) and perhaps overindulged in wine in celebration.

Photos on bottom slide show courtesy of Arthall

9 Feb - The Final Push

8/2/2023

 
Woke up today a bit surprised that we still had power. The apartment's power has gone out five times while we have been here, each time at night while we were in bed and usually when it was rainy. Last night, and all day, it was very windy, wet and cold - yes, not cold by Minnesota standards of arctic blasts - but still very cold for here, yet the power stayed on.
 
The last time the power went out was Tuesday, very early morning while we were still trying to sleep. Neither of us slept much after that as our anxiety over what we needed to accomplish that day - all by computer and internet that require electricity - was pressing.  We had just received the final confirmation that Arthall and Spazju Kreattiv had reached an agreement allowing us to install and present in Arthall and advertise the event scheduled for Friday. Marta was in Spain without her computer while visiting her mother so we needed to co-host a FB event as soon as possible.
 
Our landlord responded fairly quickly to Jo's Whatsapp message at 6:30 AM and began working on the outage, sending us somewhat accusatory messages that there must be a short originating in our unit as this had never happened before. Finally we received a rather cryptic message that he had isolated the problem "upstairs" and the power went back on. Perhaps our deduction that he had an outside line getting wet in the rain was incorrect, and that is why the power stayed on for today(?).
 
Sitting at opposite ends of the glass-top dining table, feverishly working at our laptops, we assembled copy and cover photo for the FB event. Paul was unable to post it as his computer lost connection to the internet. Fortunately Jo's still had a connection and we were successful. Then for some breakfast (our morning coffee ritual had been interrupted by the outage which also added to our stress).
 
Next onto video editing, with each of us working on different sections, before putting them together as one video. The Ghost Room video was completed on Tuesday and the Undercroft on Wednesday (Paul objected to naming it "Shaft" as it recalled the Theme by Isaac Hayes for the movie.)  Meanwhile Jo has been busily gluing together her paper with rubbings and prints with various bits of detritus that she has collected (e.g., a dried, used up tube of paint, a toy knight of St John missing its head, a bit of shattered safety glass, etc.). So far she has completed 12 assemblages for the installation/artist talk/open house.
 
Today we go to Arthall to bring the assemblages, set-up the video projection and sound. We will also, time allowing, photograph another stop-motion video of underground objects "dancing".  As is usual for us, we have been very productive during our residence.
 
This residency has followed a nearly direct opposite trajectory than our previous AiR experiences where we tend to focus upon the environs close by the residence and studio (make-shift or assigned) located in a rural setting. Towards the end, after much focused effort to create work, we have an installation/showing and then feel free to broaden our explorations on a more typical tourist level, taking in cities and sites further away from our AiR base. This time we have been housed in Valletta for a week before moving to Victoria for the primary project, the two biggest cities of the two islands so we began with touring further away from our base before shifting to more local focus (meeting Marta and Tomas and being provided access to Arthall gave us a location for dedicated exploration)
 
It is going to rain all day, as it has the past two days, so the fact that we are focused on the final push and wouldn't be able to enjoy the outside works well.

5 Feb - Random Residency Thoughts

5/2/2023

 
As should be expected after 200 years of British rule, English is common and wide-spread. Though, perhaps as an act of resistance, the Maltese language is very much the primary language. The signage outside official government offices is in Maltese (leading to some confusion as we were trying to meet with Francesco Grech at the office of the Gozo Regional Council). Victoria, named by the Brits, is still referred to as ir-Rabat. Surprisingly, even though the written English used is the U.K. version, rather than the American that has dropped letters in spellings (e.g., programme v. program), the spoken version doesn't retain much, if any of the British dialect. Maltese spoken English is very different than British spoken English, making it very easy to detect the ex-pats and holiday-goers.
 

A man who looked just young enough to have never been a subject of Her Majesty, that Jo struck up a conversation with while we were hiking along the Ta' Cenc cliff trail, kept asking with his somewhat limited mastery of the language, "English?" in spite of us replying "the States" "U.S." and "America". He then proudly led us to view the Manchester logo on the back windshield of his small pick-up truck. Paul responded "football" and the man started sharing the woes of the recent loss at the 91 minute mark. We have seen more than a few football (aka soccer) pubs in both Valletta and here.
The Maltese also drive on the "wrong side" of the road, which is difficult for us pedestrians to adjust to after a lifetime of conditioning how to look to avoid being run over while crossing intersections. This confusion isn't helped by the narrow streets that lead to drivers choosing the middle of the road rather than one side or the other. They do stop at crosswalks but you must be cautious and quick if you decide to jaywalk or cross an intersection without any designated pedestrian pathway.
 
The Maltese have also maintained the British style electrical outlets - the male plug has three rectangular flat pins placed in a triangular or t position it is rather hefty and more secure than the U.S. style plugs. You wouldn't ever think that you could just yank the cord to remove it from the wall. Many of their appliances, however, are imported from Italy and utilize a plug with two round pins, so adaptors are a must. We did discover that the TV in our apartment eschewed the adaptor by jamming the round pins into rectangular holes, something our landlord assured us was common, though we weren't convinced.
 
We are very happy to be here in residence in the off-season as the tourist buses are active, the highlights on tourist maps are full of people, and more than once ducked down a side alley to avoid a horde following a guide describing the history and glory of the buildings. We recognize that, as artists in residence we are still actively doing tourist type things but like to pretend that we aren't really tourists because, in every land no matter their points origin, tourists are really annoying.
 
We've concluded that food is less expensive in the E.U. than the U.S. We've indulged in big purple kohlrabi that are delicious and cheap, celiriac that is a rare and spendy find in U.S. stores, and cheeses that have taste and texture for less than gourmand prices.
 
Into the last week of residency we are focused upon finishing our art to display on our webpage. Jo moves her visual pieces from the "micro-studio" in the laundry hallway to the couch, drying rack and floor in an attempt to allow them to dry and provide her with the distance to see and assess the work. Living and working in this tiny and non-efficiently set-up apartment is a challenge we are definitely looking forward to leaving behind.

4 Feb - Ta' Ċenċ and Xlendi

4/2/2023

 
Walking in Gozo involves a lot of changing sides of the road in an effort to put yourself at the least risk of being hit by a car. The streets are narrow with no shoulder, the drivers fast, and sidewalks are oftentimes interrupted by steps, driveways and sideview mirrors of cars parked as close to the edge as possible. Fortunately blind curves feature concave mirrors to assist the drivers avoid head-on collisions and it is common practice to sound one's horn to warn oncoming traffic.
 
We plot our course, attempting to follow as many small streets, alleys and - best yet - walking trails. But sometimes major roads are unavoidable to get to where we want to go. We passed by a decrepit building that once must have been impressive as the limestone in the front had unique carvings. Then onto a very busy road that, thankfully had a parking area designated on one side.
 
We turned off onto a less traveled street and passed by a fairly large dairy operation with the dairy parlor under what looked like an abandoned overpass project: large concrete pillars supporting a mostly flat concrete roof, with no walls. As we climbed out of the valley we noted several dairy operations with the same structures, most with solar panels atop.
 
It was a very beautiful day. As we neared the coast we had a clear view of the islands of Comino and Malta as well as the channel ferry making its crossing.
 
The Ta' Ċenċ Cliffs, also known as Sanap Cliffs are extraordinary; projecting vertically out of the Mediterranean Sea at heights up to 120 meters (394 feet). The trail follows the coastline, revealing wonderful flora - some we couldn't identify - and several limestone and rubble rock huts for shepherds who tend their sheep and goats. In exposed sections of the trail the wind was powerful, once making it difficult for Jo to move forward.
 
It is an interesting trail. If one focuses solely upon the trail and the gorgeous views of the cliff and Sea then it seems that one is in the wilderness. But, shifting your view inland it is clear that "civilization" is very close, complete with the sound of construction. The trail is sometimes very manicured and other times rather rough, requiring you to look for the red paint circles on the rock marking the way.
 
Suddenly, after enjoying a long trek along the coastal cliffs, we were at the end, signified by the jarring vision of contemporary high-rise apartments in Xlendi, what was once a fishing village transformed by capitalism into an upscale resort community. The bay was filled with scuba buoys demarking areas where divers were active.
Climbing up from the coast we enjoyed viewing the fecund valley of Wied Xlendi and the Tal-Fekruna Promontory, named for its resemblance to a tortoise. A bit further up, in Fortuna we realized that we were on the "backside" of the Lunzjata Valley which feeds into the drainage to Xlendi.  We also happened upon what may be the oldest developed natural spring on the island.

3 Feb - ArtHall Artmaking

3/2/2023

 
Spent much of the past few days in the subterranean level beneath the ArtHall Gallery. Marta has graciously provided us complete access to the space; giving us a key soon after we met. The basement is damp, a dehumidifier is set to run constantly, with limestone dust from the walls throughout. There is the organized mess of an artist's studio with remnants of past projects and various tools of making work in categorized areas.
 
We are working in two spaces: the "shaft", a never finished elevator for the building, and the "ghost room" a 10'x10' space with limestone arches overhead, polished marbled tile floor and limestone block walls. The ghost room has had some issues with flooding, the stone walls smell of mildew, reinforcing just how soft and porous this rock is.
 
The resonance in the ghost room is extraordinary. Inspired by Alvin Lucier's, "I am sitting in a room", Paul recorded, played back and re-recorded the sound of the dehumidifier, and spoken text written by us about the spaces six times (to correspond with the number of times you have to turn the key to unlock the door) as the overtones of the room completely mutate the original recording into something somewhat akin to Robert Fripp's frippertronic tape loop experiments. It is likely that these will be used as soundtracks for the videos we are making in the rooms.
 
In the ghost room we made a stop-motion animation (aka "pixelation") with the two of us (because it isn't really an artist residency until we have done at least one of those!) and, using dialogic devising, created text and movement videos. The shaft has likewise been a site for our devising videos. Francesco Grech, a young poet/composer who has been one of our official contacts, has agreed to take part in the devising as well, as soon as his schedule opens up.
 
Jo has also been taking chalk rubbings in the ghost room while continuing to do her Gelli prints. The small space of the apartment requires organization and some creative problem solving - she has used the floor, the couch and the drying rack for places to allow the wet paint to dry. (All the works pictured in the slide shows are in-process, not finished works.)
 
Paul is working with the GoPro to create a artwalking in Victoria video so we have continued to explore the side streets and alleys. We made our way back to the Lunzjata Valley where they had cut and bundled the very tall (20') bamboo-like grasses that lined the stream. Aside from the coastline, there are really no wild places on Gozo, it is either cultivated for "dry farming" or residential. Gozo is the bread basket of Malta. Fortunately, as it was not where the British ships were docked, it was not subjected to quite the level of bombardment during WWII as Malta was and, through disciplined rationing, was able to keep Malta from starving.

30 Jan - Wied il-Għasri Gorge and Salt Pans

30/1/2023

 

Church bells commence early in the morning and continue throughout the day, pealing from different directions, each church having its own unique timbre and pitch. They don't, like a cuckoo clock, denote the hour of the day (I've counted and it doesn't match). Sometimes they are melodic other times cacophonic. And it seems that the churches don't overlap. Perhaps the various parishes, with their proud and grandiose basilicas that seem rather oversized for the populations, have an agreement to set their bell clocks to slightly different times or it is just a happy accident.
 
My best guess is the bells follow a schedule set by the 7 canonical "hours" of matins and lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, vespers and compline (thank you Google search). It would be really interesting if these were accompanied by the Islam calls to prayer broadcast through the day but, other than the Arabic roots of Maltese language, Islam was thoroughly replaced by the Knights of St. John's militaristic devotion.
 
We have seen a few women with head scarves and one in a full black chador who, on first glimpse I perceived as a Catholic nun, however it is clear that Islam is not a dominant religion here. The language is interesting for an outsider, as it sometimes sounds very Arabic and sometimes very Italian. We also oftentimes hear very British English, perhaps from tourists or ex-pats.
 
We started another of our "slow walks on a small rock" life art project only to have to return to the apartment for a change of footgear. Jo saved on weight and space during packing by leaving her hiking boots behind in favor of her cross trainer shoes regularly used for biking. It turns out that the fit is just a bit too tight which created some hot spots on her feet on our previous day's trek that flared up immediately. A change to the looser, slip-on boots she had worn on the plane and we were off.
 
Our route retraced the start of yesterday's path before veering slightly east so we were able to identify both Ta’ Għammar hill and Ta' Ġurdan Lighthouse from slightly different viewpoints. Past terraced agriculture and through some rather posh areas with impeccably maintained and very tall rock rubble walls until we reached the Wied il-Għasri Gorge. Descending the rock-hewn stairway we reached a very narrow inlet to the sea with impressive limestone walls and the sound of small round rocks rolling against each other. The tourist literature comments on how impressive it is during rough weather, which seems an ill-advised time to visit, but it would be magnificent.
 
Nearby the salt pans commence, a series of shallow flat pools where seawater is allowed to evaporate, interconnected by a series of hand dug channels. Some seem ancient, from the Roman times, and others are contemporary as they continue to serve the salt harvesting economy. There is something akin to the Sutro Baths of San Francisco as the pools appear almost as an elaborate healing spa but the numerous signs warn against going into the pools, holding barbecues or leaving trash that would contaminate the salt.
 
The channels and linked rectangular pools inhabit an eerie, somewhat lunar landscape of smooth, soft rock surface. Walking along the coastline we were impressed at the extent of the salt operation as the pools continued far beyond what the pictures and descriptions in the tourist literature prepared us for.
 
We reached Marsalforn, filled with dive shops to explore Calypso's Cave and apartment buildings constructed with modern, economical methods.  We were now on the return leg of our walk, with the highlights of the hike behind us. The blisters on Jo's feet were a bit too angry so, in spite of the nagging feeling that we were breaching some sort of code of the flâneur, we took a Bolt (the Maltese version of Uber) on a five-minute ride back to the apartment.

29 Jan - Ta' Ġurdan Lighthouse, Ta' Ghammar Hill

30/1/2023

 
Picture
Rained really hard with wind and lightning while we slept. Woke up with no electricity (3rd time in a week). Landlord had difficulty resetting as the switch kept tripping. He asked us to unplug everything but it is pretty clear that his problem is that the rain is getting his circuits wet as each time the power has gone out it has correlated to rain. Finally, after an hour the power stayed on, the moisture probably had dried out enough to stop being an issue.
 As everything in the apartment is electric this impacted our morning coffee ritual, Paul didn't bring Jo's first mug to her in bed while she went through her morning stretches to mitigate against vertigo caused by neck strain.
 
Morning into late afternoon was predicted to be dry so Jo plotted out a long and much needed walk after two mostly sedentary days. It is amazing how quickly we were outside the city, into the much more sane lanes with few cars racing by. The plant life had responded to their evening soaking, the green was practically radiant in the fields of the broad valley surrounded by hills and steppes that are crammed with limestone buildings reached by steep, sometimes switchbacked roads.
 
We saw some fields with plants we couldn't identify, taking photos for future referencing. Up another very steep road we reached the Ta' Ġurdan Lighthouse near the village of Ghasri. We were a bit disappointed to see and hear that we weren't alone, a group of eight young adults were sitting at a nice overlook playing pop music on a device. It was good to see them enjoying the early afternoon but their music wasn't as interesting as the birdsong.
 
We didn't linger long as we had started late, the loop was long, and we had a dinner date with the partners of Arthall (going to a restaurant and, indeed, getting together with another couple for dinner is a relatively rare event for us). Back down the hill we passed an extended family with auntie (or grandma?), two mothers, children, and two young men, all dressed up taking an after-Church stroll.
 
We retraced our steps, past several dog-walkers (it must have been the usual Sunday afternoon time to take the pooch out), back to Ghasri before turning off towards our next destination. We had noted earlier that the unleashed dogs we had encountered along the way were rather tolerant of strangers, never did we feel the aggressive defense of territory that oftentimes feels a bit of a threat when walking the countryside in the U.S.  We also saw a few serious runners and bikers logging the kilometers.
 
The Ta’ Pinu sanctuary is impressive enough with its contemporary statues and curved mosaic walls in the large courtyard in front of the church but it across the street where the real attraction lies. Up Ta’ Għammar hill is a steep pathway are positioned 14 larger than life, white Carrara marble statues, providing an effort-filled pilgrimage for the ritual of the Stations of the Cross. This leads to a large amphitheater in the round with a stone altar placed in the center. We sat at the top and enjoyed our simple lunch. From that vantage one can see the Sea in all directions, making the smallness of the island clearly evident.
 
Back down the hill we started down an even steeper path to the adjacent narrow, terraced and thoroughly planted verdant valley. We stopped after descending to the first terrace as the stone steps going to lower levels looked a bit precarious. We had seen a man pushing a wheelbarrow up the path, the labor involved in farming these difficult to access fields seem rather incredible.
 
We looped past the Ta'Dbiegi Crafts Village that we has visited on a previous hike, hoping to view the Neolithic Caves At Ghajn Abdul, further on. We didn't see the caves but enjoyed some spectacular views. The dirt/gravel roads were
very muddy from downpour, especially as we walked near planting areas near waterways that drain from the many isolated hills into the Sea.
 
Nearing Victoria ir-Rabat we noted preparations for some sort of event: police standing around readied for traffic and crowd control, members of a band in uniform, flags atop buildings as the churches peeled their bells.
 
The pizza we had for dinner wasn't memorable and our server neglected us, but we thoroughly enjoyed our time with Arthall director Marta Obiols Fornell and her partner Tomas Hed, a painter whose work we admire (we purchased a beautiful linoleum print of his to bring home the day before).
Picture

28 Jan - Doing Art Stuff and Staying Local

28/1/2023

 
Haven't done any big excursions the past couple days. Been rainy and we have had some meetings scheduled.  The meetings were very fruitful and likely to develop into positive elements of our residency. (More later as things are solidified)
 
Meanwhile we have been working on the art part of our artist residency. Jo has been making Gelli prints on her handmade paper created at home and at U.S residencies, as well as exploring rubbings on limestone surfaces. Paul has been editing video and continuing to collect audio and visual resources.
 
We went to a bakery in Fontana, deciding that Maypole is not only closer, with more convenient
hours of operation, we enjoy their bread more. We also visited a local museum whose curatorial vision was....hard to get a grasp upon.
 
Roaming small streets and alleys, attempting to navigate the labyrinth of an ancient city's central district without relying totally upon Google Maps on the phone we have happened upon some small wonders while becoming a bit more familiar.

Jo created a pan top variation on the traditional timpana that was delicious.  Who knew that curry works well with more traditional Italian type seasonings?

26 Jan - Back to the Lunzjata Valley

26/1/2023

 
Some thunder this morning with intermittent showers. We walked up towards the Citadel to go to Marla Attard's office at the Cultural Heritage Directorate and walked right by it. While set along a well-traveled street rather than on the backside of a parking lot like Francesco Grech's shared office as cultural manager for the Gozo Region in Malta, it too was rather inconspicuously labeled in a very pedestrian looking building.
 
We walked into the building and immediately a male colleague of hers followed us, asking what we wanted in a way to make is seem that our presence in the building was not really allowed. Our perception is that these government agencies really don't want direct public interaction, at least without setting up a pre-arranged meeting, and perhaps, being so near to the Citadel, they get tourists wandering in with some frequency.
 
Marla came out of her meeting to give us another bag of supplies (clothes hangers and trash/recycling bags) to supplement the apartment. As always she made us feel quite welcome even though she had work to do. Finally, six days after moving in, the apartment feels like it may properly accommodate our basic needs.
 
Rain was predicted but it was clear for the moment so we took the relatively short walk to the neighboring town of Fontana to re-visit Lunzjata Valley and hopefully get to meet with the Education, Science and Culture Centre sited there with the hope that we could make arrangements for deeper investigations for our "Sense of Place" project in the Valley and other areas of natural beauty the Centre deals with.
 
Unfortunately the Centre was closed so we settled on a slow "art-walk" in the agriculturally rich area made fecund by plentiful water. Paul began making sound recordings, Jo collecting samples of flora to press, and both of us snapping photos.
 
A farmer drove by in a truck (it is refreshing to see trucks that are clearly designed for utility rather than the bloated, luxury pick ups in the U.S.), across the bridge to a large, old stone villa. As we trudged on it became apparent that the valley is farmed by this one operation/family. Awhile later we saw the man walking along a path with two large boxes filled with some greenery he harvested to load into the truck and then he walked to another small field up the valley. Access to the various planting areas is limited, there would be no large tractors working the small fields here.
 
Beginning our walk back we couldn't determine whether the cat we saw in the grass was dead or just sleeping. Jo called out "puss, puss" to see if she could rouse it and almost immediately three
additional cats came out (and the sleeping cat groggily lifted its head). One was particularly persistent, following us, mewing, and engaging in the "dive" in an attempt to receive some petting. Cats are clearly welcomed here.
 
We decided to check out a nearby bakery but it closes at 12:30. At an adjacent produce shop we picked up some lovely veggies and fruit as well as some delicious Ġbejniet, peppered sheep cheese.
 
From the apartment we walked to the Maypole to pick up some ftira bread for dinner. Their street is muddy from the multitude of construction vehicles that were making walking past seem a bit precarious. It seems that no matter where we walk there is an active construction project in process.
 
With some juggling to deal with insufficient sized cooking vessels we made our version of Aljotta with the fish broth that we had simmered for the past days following the recipe kindly offered when we purchased the hake. We sauted onion, leek (our variation), garlic, potato, celeriac (another variation), and tomato in a deep skillet. Added a handful of chopped basil and mint, salt and pepper. Then steeped it in broth in both our mini-stock pot and skillet.  Delicious. The combination of mint and basil is one we would never have considered but it worked very well.
 
As we slept it rained hard with occasional lightning.

25 Jan - Ġgantija Temple, Ta'Kola Windmill, Lord Chambray

25/1/2023

 
Began simmering the hake bones, tail and head for soup tomorrow. We were concerned that it would stink up the apartment so were pleasantly surprised that the aroma is really quite nice.
 
The spin cycle of the washing machine in our apartment doesn't thoroughly wring out the clothes so, with the rainy conditions it takes a couple days to dry on the portable, folding drying rack (a great household item that we have tried, in vain, to locate in the States since first discovering them at our Arteles residency in Hämeenkyrö, Finland back in 2012.). First thing in the morning we started another small load so we can keep on top of things.
 
Jo broke out her paints, and paper in the tiny micro-studio she set up next to the washing machine. Not ideal conditions by any means but making do with what you have is all part of the artist residence experience.
 
The forecast was for dry conditions until late afternoon/evening so we decided we should take another long walk, this time to the Ġgantija Temple built between c.3600 and c.3200 BC
 
The narrow, and sometimes non-existent sidewalks on narrow streets where the locals zoom past (the "Speed Kills" signs on the road seem to have no impact) while minding one's step to avoid dog waste doesn't make for the most pleasant walking but, once we leave the city limits there is less traffic, less urban dog owners, and much more rewarding views. We have noted more than a few red dog waste receptacles stationed around town so it appears the local council is aware of the issue.
 
Xagħra, the second largest town in Gozo with a population of around 5,000 is, sited atop a hill (a great defensive position). The road we walked into town featured very steep switchbacks that, in spite of intentional texturing of the concrete to increase traction, was rather slick.
 
Nearing the top there was a cemetery that we would have enjoyed exploring but restrained our curiosity in deference to someone paying respect to their loved one. Not much further up there is a beautiful area with a stele with religious image, a plaque commemorating a bicentennial in Maltese language (1818-2018) and gorgeous vistas of the Sea and the countryside.
 
Xagħra's Victory Square is anchored by the Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady. It seems that many, perhaps most Gozo squares are centered around a predominant church. We lunched on a couple savory pastries purchased from a nearby snack shop but found that didn't meet the high standard set by the ones we enjoyed from Sphinx Pastizzeria in Valletta.
 
Without planning, we came upon Ta'Kola Windmill and were informed that entry tickets valid for both attractions were only available at the Ġgantija Archaeological Park so we would need to come back after visiting there.
 
The  Ġgantija museum features rather astonishing artifacts demonstrating a level of artistic sophistication that we hadn't realized a Stone Age civilization was able to attain. The Temple grounds themselves, with 8 meter high exterior walls, and elaborate inner rooms reinforced this perception. Scaffolding has been put into place to prevent further collapses since the site was excavated in the 1800s. Several of the stones had holes drilled into them, some resembling the kind our door knobs and latches have.
 
We were happy to have a carob tree identified via the tourist signs. Walking around the Temple to the main entrance Paul stopped to record rather raucous birds (starlings?) in a neighboring olive orchard. Before we got to the entrance a guided tour bus made their presence felt, swarming the site and interrupted our sense of what was once the location of sacred rituals. We waited them out and were relieved to hear their tour leader ask "are we ready?" before they shuffled off after a few more selfies in front of the monument.  For a few brief periods we were actually alone in the Temple.
 
Having secured the tickets good for both heritage sites we went back to the Ta'Kola Windmill, one of the few remaining windmills built during the reign of the Order of St. John. The last miller was living and working there until his death in 1987. The top had been reconstructed due to damage from a windstorm following the old plans but were clearly made recently.
 
We decided to make our way to the Lord Chambray Brewery, the first and only craft brewer on the island in the nearby town of Xewkija. Just prior to beginning another very steep descent from Xagħra's hill we spied what we decided was a race track in the distance with a horse fitted with the small two wheeled sulky for harness racing going through it's paces.
 
Nearing Xewkija we saw four small horse trailers on the street, one with a sulky tied to the back. A little further on we realized we were right next to the 1 km Xħajma Racetrack, the only facility on Gozo that serves as the main training ground.  An internet search reveals that they also hold motocross events.
 
At the eight-year old Lord Chambray Brewery we enjoyed a flight of tasters including Flinders Rose Gose, a very light and refreshing slightly sour flavored with native caper flowers; Sunny Trails, a wheat beer with lemon and mint; Honey Winter Ale made with local carob honey; and Manhattan, purported to be inspired by the cocktail but better than that sounds, flavored
with wormwood and juniper berries. We were told that the all of the hops, malt and yeast must be imported and the water undergoes reverse osmosis with added minerals - which makes it understandable why a beer culture didn't develop here equivalent to the local wine making.
 
Back in Victoria ir-Rabat we hunted for some cheap, light-weight paper suitable for making rubbings with the red chalk Jo purchased the other day. We searched a stationers, food market, and home supply store before being advised to try Maypole - which didn't have the paper we wanted - but is a bakery and we came out with some warm, fresh ftira bread. We gave up on our hunt but were content to have found a nearby source for bread. Just before reaching the apartment Jo decided to check a book store that turned out to have a fair range of different types of paper, one type was suitable for rubbings and she purchased 30 cents worth.
 

24 Jan - Housekeeping and Local Shopping

24/1/2023

 
Marla came by at 10:00 to drop off some cleaning supplies and extension cords, she will bring some clothes hangers (the assortment here is rather anemic) tomorrow.
 
As there is 90% chance of rain predicted for this afternoon we decided to get some shopping done. Tutto Casa is jammed full of supplies for the house. We got a knife, some sponges and cheap rags.  Then, to a stationary store in search of red chalk.
 
Not able to identify the large, draping bush with yellow blossoms we asked at a Almar plant/pet store. They didn't know the name but said it was plentiful, suggested an identification app to use (it is Chalice Cup Vine, Solandra maxima). All of the shopkeepers we met were pleasant, courteous and helpful. One man from Almar was especially attentive, let us borrow clippers to get a cutting and then advised us where we should buy a house ("go to the west") and then provided some advice on a walk near a beautiful church with views of the islands of Comino and Malta. Jo was assured that the bunnies in the cages were meant as pets, not for eating.

Past an old church to Puxulina Fish Shop and Sea Food Gozo where both the customers and the shopkeeper were quite friendly. One customer insisted that we go in front of him, contrary to the Maltese tendency to cut the queue (explained to us as an act of resistance to the British colonial insistence that locals queue like loyal subjects).  He gave us a recipe for fish stock from the remnants of the filleted hake we bought for dinner. We also got some anchovies for lunch and some frozen fish soup from their family recipe.

Walking back to the apartment we found Daniel's Fruit & Vegetables, a small stand with inexpensive and fresh produce. All we need now is to find a good local bakery for fresh bread.
 
The rain started and we walked to the Il-Ħaġar – Heart of Gozo museum near St George's Basilica only to find signage on the door that it is closed until the 28th so we will have to visit next week. On the way back to the apartment we stopped for a delicious chocolate cake and espresso at the nearby Bunna Café.
 
The following are mostly under-informed perceptions based upon admittedly very limited exposure to historic resources and casual conversations with locals (case in point: we found out that what we thought was cannonade from the Citadel being fired was just your run of the mill fireworks as the "Maltese celebrate everything with fireworks":
 
Malta is a postcolonial country, having on recently been given their sovereignty by Her Majesty in 1964, ostensibly as reward for serving the war effort so well in WWII (why it took two decades to decide that the Maltese deserved freedom is another question). The Brits ruled for two centuries after kicking out the Napolean's French Republicans who had kicked out the Knights of St. John who were established in 1530 when Emperor Charles V, as King of Sicily, gave them Malta.
 
The Great Siege of Malta (1565) was presaged by the Great Disaster of Gozo in 1559 when only those who were worthless as slaves were left behind by the invading Ottoman Turks. It becomes understandable why the law that all Gozitans stay within the walls of the Cittadella at night was passed as slaving raids were common.
 
Maltese language is from the Ottoman rule of the island, and English is the second language due to the two centuries of British rule. From the Order of St John's reign, the Catholic Church remains a dominant force with the majority of schools run by various orders. We were told that omertà, the code of silence, is very much part of Gozitan culture, perhaps a hangover from the history of Sicilian rule.
 
As a postcolonial nation that only recently gained its freedom from outside rule, it is to be expected that trust of outsiders isn't automatically given. Recent dramatic changes to the islands would tend to exacerbate that hesitance.
 
As expected with Gozo's status as the second Island of the nation of Malta, it has less development though more than a few Gozitans have expressed anxiety that the recent building boom, while not as aggressive as Malta's is changing the rural beauty into "another Malta". Malta's housing prices have exploded, making the (at least for now) cheaper costs of Gozo an attractive option for young professionals, especially those who have been enabled to work remotely as result of the pandemic isolation demands. This, in turn, pushes the building boom and an increase of non-native Gozitans to the island which threatens the local and somewhat insular culture. On top of this, recent immigrants have also been attracted to cheaper costs of Gozo, many of whom are from sub-Saharan Africa, raising the specter of racist attitudes mixing in with concerns of losing a beautiful culture by being overwhelmed by sheer numbers of outsiders taking up residence.

23 Jan - Dwerja Walk

24/1/2023

 
Around 4:00 AM Jo noticed that the power was out. We weren't sure if it was local to our apartment or more generalized as there were some periods of strong rain last night. Everything in our apartment is electric. The early morning trip to the bathroom was with slow steps and arms outstretched until the phone flashlight was located. Jo sent a message to the owner of building via Whatsap (apparently a necessary upload if you want to communicate here) after the morning traffic sounds let us know it was getting to be time for the day to begin and shortly after we heard someone in the public hallway/stairs click a switch and for a brief moment we had power.  About half a minute later another switch was tripped from another part of the building and our energy was fully restored.
 
We decided we had to take advantage of the clear day as the rest of the week the forecast is wet. Some internet research and plotting some destinations on Google Maps we had our route uploaded to our phones. We purchased a Sim card for Jo's phone so it is fully functional, took the Sim card out of Paul's to avoid international charges but, with WiFi available he may still utilize it for more than just a camera. As Jo's phone ran out of power the day before while navigating and picture taking we decided that Paul would serve as navigator on the first part of our trek and Jo would on the second part.  To doubly guarantee our digital maps would be powered Jo utilized the Nikon SLR while Paul was a bit conservative on his shots, with the old Pentax in reserve.
 
There is a relief when our pathway turned onto less well-used streets as the cars go fast and perilously close to narrow if non-existent sidewalks. Not sure if it is due to the effect of the fumes being intensified by slot canyons of row buildings on either side or if the exhaust output regulations are somewhat lax but the noxious smells spewed by the vehicles speeding past are severe.  Or, perhaps our perceptions are based in the novelty of walking along roadways, something we avoid in the States.
 
The urban environment is delightfully interrupted by the verdant Lunzjata Valley, lush agricultural plots lined with ancient caves. A local Gozitan commented to Paul how beautiful it was and "this is the last beautiful place in Gozo because of all the building".  P responded that we had noticed all of the construction going on and was corrected, "Not construction, building. They use concrete, not stone." He went on to point to a flat-topped span that was meant to be restored to its original arched state with limestone but, due to economics a simpler and cheaper material and method was utilized.
 
We enjoyed the respite from roads on the narrow walkway and stairs out of the valley. Prickly pears are plentiful with fruit nearing harvest. We turned the corner at the top of our climb back onto streets, more suburban and rural with views of terraced fields, glimpses of the Mediterranean, sounds of chickens, and the ever present cats (Gozitans love cats as much as the Maltese). Smells alerted us of a dairy operation near houses before we reached an area solely dedicated to agriculture.
 
Fields with stone fences and small stone huts (for shepherd's?) with vistas of stone cliffs and terraced fields. A plaque notated a EU funded project before a suddenly wide and smooth section of the road. Traffic, which had fallen off to no longer be a consideration, picked up again with large cement trucks, dump and hauling trucks that had to stop to let on-coming trucks pass as the road again narrowed and became bumpy and rutted. Cued by the Gozitan man at the Lunzjata Valley we expected to come upon a massive construction project.
 
We stepped off the road up a drive to view a small duck pond and gained the attention of several chickens that followed us quite awhile down the road. As the road narrowed and worsened even more we were happy to follow a truck slowly picking its way down as it ensured we wouldn't have to deal with any coming towards us. A massive quarry revealed itself as the reason for all the trucks that were coming to resupply for building projects throughout the island.
 
We turned off onto a walking path atop the cliff faces abutting the sea. Truly magnificent views on a beautiful day. The color of the water is an incredible blue. We passed by a popular site full of people taking short jaunts from the parking lot cars and tourist buses. Our trail turned once again to street as we looped back, through San Lawrenz and onto Ta'Dbiegi Crafts Village where we had a disappointing lunch of fish soup and a tuna fish version of a ftira sandwich, neither of which we are willing to consider prime examples of traditional cuisine.
 
We had a 17:00 appointment with Francesco Grech of the Gozo Regional Council so we opted to finish our over 10 mile trek on the most direct, main road, passing some aqueduct ruins along the way. Arriving at the apartment there was a bag with some of the items we requested - Manuel is no Michele Ripper, our dear friend from Victoria (Australia) who knows how to properly kit out an AirBnB for people who cook - we went to a store to purchase a small cutting board (I don't understand the reason for glass cutting boards like the one provided in the apt) and a paring knife (the provided serrated bread knife and added steak knife don't really it cut it for chopping veggies).
 
Thoroughly enjoyed our meeting with Francesco, a native Gozitan who lives part-time on Malta, who shared insights on Gozitan culture and suggested approaches for our artistic project.

22 Jan - The Citadel and Villa Rundle Gardens

22/1/2023

 
 Slow start on a rainy and overcast day. After picking up some drinking water at the local market (the tap water is not very tasty) we decided to head up to the Cittadella (the Citadel) the walled fortress atop the highest hill. It was cold, wet and windy but we decided to postpone exploring the various museums for another day as the weather made the lighting ideal for shooting photos.
 
We entered near the Cathedral of the Assumption and wound our way up to impressive views of the countryside below. Corroded cannons were stationed at various outposts along the way. Walls within created a maze of streets, marked by name at intersections. We wound our way around the perimeter of the fortified structure before coming back out onto the street below. At the base of the walls are several holes dug into the rock, neolithic grain storage silos that went down into the earth as evidence of an early (agri)culture.
 
We meandered on back streets, stopping for a lovely shared lunch of a "cheese pie" from a shop on St Francis Square. Then back past Pjazza Indipendenza (Independence Square).  As it is Sunday most of the shops were closed. We continued on back streets past St Francis School and the Mother's house of the Poor Sisters of Clair.
 
Consulting Google Maps on Jo's phone we found Villa Rundle Gardens, a delightful public space with sculptures intermingled amongst the gardens.
 
Back at the apartment we heard a cannonade that we assume was fired from the Cittadella as well as several peels of church bells that we have heard all day.

21 Jan - On to Gozo

22/1/2023

 
No photos for this entry. We packed up and took our bags up to a nearby bus stop on the thoroughfare encircling the city along the waterline to order transport from Bolt. Had a little difficulty with credit cards (both the FSU travel card and our personal card) as they held payment for anti-fraud confirmations from us. As such, we aren't clear which card got charged. Just a little more administrative hassle to deal with, no biggie.

It was great to get outside of Valletta, into the countryside to see green, terraced fields. Lots of prickly pear everywhere. Saw a field of artichoke as well as other crops.  The predominance of Maltese limestone as a building/fencing material is obvious. As it is a relatively soft, porous rock we found that it would come off on our clothes when we brushed by and the rain in Valletta had evidence of the erosion streaming down the stepped sidewalks. As is true with most urban locations, one must be careful where stepping as there is more than a fair amount of dog poop. Cats are pampered here, we saw several cat houses, beds, feeding stations by doorways. Pigeons are everywhere, walking near the tourists in hopes of feasting on some errant food droppings.

Jo commented that the Maltese countryside reminds of New Mexico, except the view of the sea coast. We are here in the rainy season but Malta has a rather arid climate even though the sea imposes high humidity in the summer. Arrived at the ferry terminal. The crossing was a bit choppy as the wind was still above 25 knots but nothing alarming. Jo maintained focus to manage her chronic motion sickness but everything was fine.

We made the mistake of taking an overpriced taxi from the ferry station. Arriving in ir-Rabat (Victoria) he informed us that he was cash only, which confirmed our suspicions that he wasn't really giving us an honest price. He also was unclear where our final location was - even though it is on the main road through town - a bit odd that he wasn't utilizing GPS (perhaps so there would be no official tracking of the trip?) No tip!

Our phone message and text to our host Marla would not go through so we sent emails to all of those who are involved in our residency. Standing in front of the building we met another guest entering the building who, in spite of not speaking English, helped us as much as possible by calling the manager of the building as well as Marla (his attempt to reach her failed as well).

Manuel the manager let us in. There was some confusion based upon our earlier emails about the cancelled ferry and he and Marla thought we weren't coming until Sunday. When Marla came she was very apologetic about the misunderstanding though our communications were a bit confusing so it was our fault as well.

The studio apartment is small, with furnishings that exacerbate that perception. It is an efficiency apartment that isn't very efficient. However there are some very nice things like the nice sized table I'm sitting at to type this blog, the wash machine and small balcony. We spent some time organizing where things should go and, especially if our request for a few more supplies is fulfilled, it will work fine as a home base for the next three weeks.

Rabat is only 1.1 square miles with a population of less than 12,000 yet, with our apartment's location on the main drag it feels rather urban. We need to get out and explore the town on foot though the rainy conditions today (Sunday) slow down the urgency to start walking. First stop may be for shopping for umbrellas.

20 Jan - Ferry issues, Muża National Museum of Fine Arts

21/1/2023

 
After uploading the last blog entry at our assigned studio in Valletta Design Cluster, Paul went to the Fast Ferry website to purchase tickets for our passage to Gozo on Saturday where we are conducting the main portion of our residency for the next three weeks. We were alarmed to see a notice that high winds required the cancelling of the ferry service from Valletta to Gozo.
 
Fortunately the various folks connected to different organizations we are dealing with were very responsive to our emails. We have altered our itinerary to take a taxi to the Cirkewwa terminal and catch the ferry there. This is a much shorter trip than the one from Valletta (25 minutes v. 45 minutes) and is in more protected waters and the boat is larger from Cirkewwa so the windy conditions are less of an issue.
 
Once this was decided we were able to relax. We are happy to have had the time to explore Valletta on the island of Malta but are quite eager to begin what is the primary focus of our residency: "Gozo - A Sense of Place".
 
We strolled to Muża, the National Museum of Fine Arts and spent two and a half hours exploring the permanent exhibits there. The ground floor is dedicated to 20th century/contemporary artists, the 2nd focuses upon the 16th century reign of the Knights of St. John, and the third floor upon the time of the British rule. There didn't seem to be any exhibits dealing with the arts during the Napoleanic rule of the archipelago.
 
Unsurprisingly we were most taken by the more contemporary works featured on the ground floor. The exhibit circa the rule of the Knights reinforced impressions we had during our tour of the Co Cathedral. There were many, many paintings of John the Baptist. It appears that painters created and gifted pictures of the patron saint of whichever organization/community that had the deepest pockets with the hopes that this would result in further commissions. The portraits of bloated, obese officials of the Order revealed a privileged elite, many of whom seemed incapable physically of mounting any sort of martial attack. Will and Arial Durant reveal in their multi-volume Story of Civilization that Cardinals, Bishops and other high officials of the Church oftentimes weren't in the priesthood, to the contrary, the "red hat" was oftentimes given to those who would donate the most to the Vatican and they would then practice rather extreme nepotism in the awarding of prestigious and rewarding positions.
 
We noted that the style of painting shifting considerably after Caravaggio, most following were heavily influenced, if not direct imitations of his style. There were several works by Mattia Preti, including preliminary sketches for the six sections of the Co Cathedral ceiling. It was good to be able to view them up close as one would need binoculars to view details within St. John's and be able to ignore the baroque cacophony of images dulling the senses to focus solely upon his beautiful renderings.
 
By the time we reached the British rule on the third floor we had already reached museum saturation which affected our receptivity but our interest in the work was inversely correspondent to the higher it was from the ground. It was interesting, given his recent ascension to the crown, to see busts of the former Prince of Wales.
 
Afterwards we tried to find a store that would sell quality beer. After walking past a few no-go's we found a possibility that was scheduled to open at 4:30 PM. We strolled along the waterfront, heard a cannon fire in a tourist
oriented event from a historical site and enjoyed seeing a red phone box ala Dr. Who's tardis.  When we came back to the store it showed no signs of opening at the appointed time so we came back to the apartment to make a wonderful meal of whatever was still left in the kitchen (onion, garlic, celeriac root, sweet potato, red pepper in a wine/balsamic vinegar sauce with local ricotta cheese over couscous).
 
Tomorrow morning we pack, get a ride with Bolt the Maltese version of Uber and take the ferry to Gozo to begin the next chapter of this adventure.

19 Jan-Rain, Savory Pastries, St John's Co-Cathedral, Caravaggio

20/1/2023

 
We were expressing concern that we packed our bulky London Fog coats uselessly and then it decided to rain today. Yay, we get to use our coats! It wasn't that bad a rain and it quieted down the tourist traffic.
 
We tried to find an Artisan Center that was on the map but, even with Google Maps, we failed on several attempts. We decided to go to the 67 Kapital pub for lunch based upon their web menu promising sandwiches and soup. The kitchen wasn't open yet (it was around 12:30 so they must have been running late) ordered small glasses of beer (stout and white IPA - OK, not exciting) and perused the lunch menu that was handed to us.  No sandwiches, no soups, only platters of cheeses, meats, bread, etc. 
 
As that wasn't what we were in the mood for we finished our beers and went to Sphinx Pastizzeria. We ordered a Pastizzi Pizelli (smashed pea filled pastry), Pastizzi Rikotta (ricotta filled pastry), Qassatat Spinachi (tuna and spinach roll), and Timpana (pasta pie with penne, bacon, hard boiled egg and minced meat). We walked to the square and found a large unused portico and sat on chairs stowed there by the neighboring restaurant from their outdoor dining to keep them dry.  Delicious. The flaky pastry was very buttery. Jo just looked them up and found out how fattening they are so that is likely to be the last we have them. We didn't think to take photos so you will have to use your imagination or look them up online.
 
Lunch finished we took the self-guided tour of St John's Co-Cathedral, founded and dedicated to the Knights of St. John who were "given" Malta by the Pope after they were driven out of Jerusalem during one of the many campaigns of the longstanding conquests of land and booty known as the Crusades.
 
The predominant style of the cathedral is baroque - not leaving an inch undecorated with gilded motifs - with a few instances of neo-classical lines attempting to simplify the saturated figures.  The Knights were Hospitalers of the Crusades however, based upon the repetition of death images, weaponry and celebration of the killing and subjugation of Islamic and African "infidels" they seemed very much to be a death cult.
 
The literature and the recorded tour stated that the decorations were to the glory of God and the Virgin however our impression was that it was about the glorification of wealthy and powerful individuals who paid for their tombs (the entire floor was made up of individual marble, finely detailed tombstones) and the grand masters of the order who were honored by three dimensional monuments aligning the walls of each of the side chapels, featuring their busts, their earthly remains, a record of their feats of carnage and enslavement, symbolic references often of pagan origin, and reproductions of their weapons of choice. As is true with the naming of public spaces after the largest corporate donor, the more resources provided by each nobleman/knight related directly to the pomposity of their funeral memorial.
 
The highlight of the cathedral at the end of the tour is the Oratory, originally meant for inspiring novitiates rather than serving as grandiose celebrations of the wealthy and powerful members of various subdivisions of the Order.  It features The Beheading of St John as well as other works by Caravaggio. The subdued palate and use of empty space illuminating very human endeavor is a relief after the dense baroque ornamentation depicting martyr warriors and saintly conquerors in as garish a fashion as possible. Ironically, the Order chose these paintings as best to inspire new recruits yet Caravaggio himself only lasted five months with the Knights as he couldn't keep his violent temper aimed only at the infidels and instead took it out on his colleagues. Regretfully access to the paintings is limited so we only could gaze at them from a distance and the museum, where the paintings could be displayed in a manner more advantageous to viewing, was closed for restoration (restorers were actively at work in various locations within the cathedral as we toured). Fortunately his extraordinary painting of St. Jerome has been temporarily moved into the Oratory from the museum so we were able to see that as well.

18 Jan-Valletta Design Cluster Photos and Presentation

19/1/2023

 
As promised, here are photos of VDC. We are very impressed with the balance of contemporary and historic aspects the architect has accomplished with this 2018 project. The award winning roof-top garden is a wonderful respite from the dense city that is open to all. The vertical garden continues the greenery into the space, with a retractable glass roof with solar panels atop. There were wonderful choices made here that retained the original space, resulting in irregular sized doors and a few lower hanging obstacles for taller clients - we doubt these choices would be allowed in the U.S. as they would violate codes.
 
As is true throughout the city, accessibility for those with mobility issues is a challenge. This has been dealt with by installing an elevator with stops between floors to avoid stairs to slightly different levels throughout.
 
As requested we made a presentation for a small audience. In previous residencies we have presented our work towards the ends of our stay, sharing the works we created while in residence. This time we were presenting prior to our actual project commencing (our time in Valletta is a "preview" of Maltese culture before our project begins in residence in Gozo). As such we were left to present ourselves, triggering feelings of our lingering "imposter syndrome" that we have never completely exorcised.
 
We opted to show two videos we have prepared for academic conferences. P, unfortunately didn't "read the room" well after the first 20 minute video and gave into our tendency to provide too much material. He launched right into the next 20 minute video that had even more of an academic tone than the first one. Both are good videos but they are densely packed with content and more than a fair share of academic-speak so the effect was a bit deadening upon the audience members who had come straight from work to the audience talk and then were subjected to 40 minutes of video in a darkened room.
 
There were two graduate students who seemed fully engaged. Perhaps this is because they are immersed in academic speak so it didn't phase them or, because they are still emerging
professionals they are a bit forgiving of programming shortcomings made due to insecurities. Afterwards we engaged in a bit of a postmortem which Andrea joined in and provided confirmation as to what we were thinking: in this case Less is More.

18 Jan-Tour of Spajzu Kreattiv

19/1/2023

 
Daniel Azzopardi and Gabija Kazlauskiene took us for a tour of the Spazju Kreattiv building in the morning. We taught our workshop there for Opening Doors Association the night before but had only accessed a ground floor studio to use through a side entrance so we hadn't viewed it in its entirety.
 
The building is atop the highest hill in the city and sandwiched between Parliament, the Stock Exchange and other official, "important" structures. It was the first permanent structure created in the newly established city Valletta in response to the Ottoman great siege of 1565, repelled by Grand Master Jean Patriot de La Valette of the Knights of St. John.
The site of Valletta was chosen for military purposes as the former capital (and until then only) city of Mdina had proven to be unsound geographically for defense. The building, and its twin sited to defend the port from the other side of the water, is at the highest point, an incredibly thick-walled silo with the rooftop positioning above attackers being the primary focus.
 As is true with other ancient buildings in Valletta, it was re-purposed throughout the centuries. The British constructed two very large cisterns for the collection and storage of vital water in this arid climate. It served as barracks during WWII (Malta was the most bombarded nation during the war) It housed the national press.
 
The configuration of Spazju Kreattiv was completed in 2001. The exterior retains its historic surface while the interior is almost completely contemporary with a few reminders throughout of the historic building. There is a sense of roundness in both the walls and the ceilings of the spaces. The original intent of the building - to keep people out - provide a paradox for an organization inviting the community in to share in the Arts.
 
There are several creative spaces (hence their name "creative space"): a theater-in-the-round placed within a former cistern, a recital hall, a cinema theater, two large exhibition spaces, a smaller exhibition space, and several studios for classes and creative work by artists.
 
With one very notable exception, all the spaces of SK strive towards architectural tabula rasa, providing artists with empty spaces to realize their own visions. The second cistern is a large rotunda designed by an architect who imparted his very specific aesthetic to the space; even installing a full-sized, mummified palm tree.
This large space feels more like the architect's installation than a space for others to create with their own voice. Over the designer's objections, metal pillars were repainted from their original green to a more neutral color in order to make the signature of the space a bit less imposing for artists who wish to install there.
 
During the tour Daniel shared some of the realities of funding they encounter. It seems that, though the specifics are slightly different, this is a common concern that Maltese creatives share with U.S. creatives.

17 Jan Workshop with Opening Doors Association

19/1/2023

 
All images on this entry are photographs by Elisa von Brockdorff.
 
In the early evening we walked to Spazju Kreattiv ("creative space"), the National Centre of Creativity to teach our workshop in one of the studios there to participants from both the theatre and dance groups of Opening Doors Association.  We had a delightful time with the wonderful students and two hours flew by.

16 Jan VDC, Archeology Museum, Record Store, Ice Cream, Beer

17/1/2023

 

Andrea Stegani, Creativity Coordinator with Valletta Design Cluster (VDC), took us on a tour of the beautiful restored yet contemporary building that started life as an abattoir (French for slaughter house) then a bakery before falling into disrepair filled with squatters, garbage thrown in by neighbors which attracted rats. The restoration was within the past few years, funded by European and Maltese grants and creates multiple spaces for member organizations to meet, make, and teach. A decision was made to incorporate a small road that ran between the formerly two spaces within the renovated building when it was discovered that a natural spring is under the site. The spring and collected rainwater are utilized for the extensive roof garden and accompanying vertical wall garden.  Unfortunately we took very few photos during the tour but we will be snapping shots while we are here and will share in a later post.
 
After the tour we went to Studio 6 (There we have good enough Internet access to be able to upload this blog.), the space reserved for us at VDC during our week stay before going on to Gozo for the artist residency through Spajzu Kreattiv, the cultural organization hosting our residency that is housed in a restored historic building in Valletta (we will be teaching a class there on Tuesday for Opening Doors Association, an organization devoted to providing arts experiences for adults with intellectual disabilities and will be touring the building on Wednesday).
 
Back to the VDC townhouse to start a load of laundry and eat our lunch before going to the National Museum of Archeology exploring the 7,000 years of human habitation on the island (the museum is housed in yet another historic building undergoing renovation - Valletta has an incredible number of historic sites throughout the city). We were especially impressed by the designs of the Neolithic era pottery that are amazingly sophisticated. Then onto the Bronze era and Phoenician era collections. The museum is about the right size, lots to see but just when you are about to be totally fried and can't take in any more the exhibits come to an end.
 

Back on the street we stopped for some overpriced but delicious gelato (lime/basil and black currant) before heading to Anthony D'Amato Record store to hunt for local roots music. The owner was extremely helpful and shared that, established in 1885, it is claimed to be the oldest record store in the world. Ownership has remained in the family to the eldest son for five generations, he is the most recent to take charge. Through his recommendations we purchased three interesting cds, two of which the shop had been involved in mastering into discs. Walking back to our apartment we stopped at a beer pub to taste local craft beers that are brewed on the island of Gozo. We definitely will schedule a trip to the Lord Chambray brewery while we are in residence there.

15 January, Beginning to Explore Valletta

16/1/2023

 
Found slightly bigger blanket for each of us and turned the heat up from 16 C to 18. More comfortable night. Several times during the night the very loud sound of revelers shouting from the street or their cars revving woke P. There are several clubs and bars around here and the narrow canyons created by stone buildings make perfect resonating chambers. Even though it is not 'the season', there are lots of tourists about.

 Woke earlier than on Saturday. Still didn't get out quite as early as we wanted but a couple hours earlier than yesterday. Decided to walk counterclockwise along the water - opposite from the day before - but discovered stairs down to near water level and again walked toward Lower Fort St. Elmo where we had explored above on Saturday.
 
Took a lot of photos and ran down the power on our IPhones in short order.  Decided to go back to the apartment to collect the Nikon and the Pentax to circle left according to the original plan. Triq Marsammett is a major thoroughfare so decided to head a bit inland to smaller streets and far less cars. Stopped in a little shop for meat pie and a smashed pea filled pastry, walked back towards the water for lunch at a small playground looking out at Fortizza Manoel on Manoel Island.
 
Made our way up some steep, winding pedestrian stairs towards Hasting Garden - some beautiful old, gnarly trees that we haven't identified and some interesting flowers.  Mostly stone pathways with some planter beds rather sparsely planted with flora for arid climate. Walked around the very large but artistically unimpressive Triton Fountain near City Gate. Google Maps claimed that the usage was low but there were still way too many tourists about for our enjoyment.
 
Went past Spazju Kreattiv housed in another centuries old stone military building in a city filled with centuries old military buildings and churches with vertical walls lining the various inlets of the port. At the entrance they have very enticing displays going up the stairs. We decided against going in as we are teaching a class there Tuesday early evening and will be given a personal tour by Daniel Azzopardi, the director on Wednesday morning.
 
Onto the Barrakka Garden, that we had seen from below during our walk on Saturday. Just like Hasting Garden it is a lot of stone work with some planting areas. Barrakka Garden overlooks the port. It is filled with memorial plaques to WWII military members who defended against the Axis (Malta was a British possession during the war and its location is very strategic for naval engagements with Italy). Looking down a level were several cannons (there is evidence of past employment of cannonade in other old structures we have viewed. It became clear why Valletta, with the various inlets that can be defended from all sides of the water was a value for the various powers that controlled it.
 
Saw that there is a Chocolate District on Google Maps so headed to it. It was, like many other shops, closed on Sunday.  Had an espresso at a small street-side table outside a little restaurant before walking past the National Library and then back to the apartment.

14 January Exploring Valletta, Still a bit Jet Lagged

16/1/2023

 

We had the heater turned to 16C.  In the middle of the night it came on. Unfortunately the fan stayed on which was a bit too much cold air blowing on us. We had foraged for blankets so we were prepared. We fell asleep right away but Jo woke up again at 10:30 PM for a bit. P was up about an hour or so before J. No coffee maker so we did the same approach we had used in Riga - espresso grounds in cup, steeped for a bit - just fine. After a breakfast we finally got out about 12:30.

Walking along the shoreline for awhile taking lots of pictures of old structures then a three course set menu lunch at Nenu the Artisan Baker. 

Jo
Starter:
Brungiela mixwija - Grilled aubergine, served with Maltese honey, crushed walnuts and a date pate
Main:
Ta' Karmnu l-Bidija - Maltese bread dough topped with pork belly, Maltese sausage, gravy, thin sliced potatoes and sesame seeds
Dessert:
Torta tal-irkotta helwa - sweet ricotta tart baked with poached pears on almond frangipane, cinnamon custard.

Paul
Starter: Gbejna friska tal-halib tan-naghag - Fresh sheep's milk soft cheeselet set on grilled Maltese bread, spread with 'bigilla', served with Maltese style tomato and olive oil relish
Main: Angla l-Furnara - Maltese bread dough topped with rabbit stew, peas, thin sliced potatoes,
and sesame seeds
Dessert: Imqaret - Date diamonds sweet pastry with a filling of dates and rose water, local honey and Maltese ice cream.
Really quite wonderful.

Kept walking in hunt of a bank ATM for cash.  Found a big store with a food court above and Arkadia Market below.  Bought lots of supplies and were surprised at the check-out that we qualified for a free 6 pack of 2 liter bottled water. Loaded up we carried our heavy loads back to the apartment.

12-13 January, Travel to Malta

16/1/2023

 
Very happy we had a long lay-over at the DeGaulle Airport in Paris. Storm hit in Atlanta as we were waiting to taxi for take-off. Winds were impressive. We sat on the tarmac for about an hour as we watched "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once" (quite enjoyable movie). Finally cleared for take-off. Pretty bumpy ride for quite awhile. Watched part of Dr. Strange Multiverses. Decided to stop and attempt sleep. Middling success at that effort.

Arrived in Paris. Walk through Disneyland-type waiting maze even though there is no one in line. Have to dump good water out of our bottles. Exit the area to go to public toilet to dump water. Have to walk through the labyrinth to get back to security. Go through security - have to take out ALL electronics, the exiting conveyor belt smashes the boxes full of other passengers' items into your many boxes that had to be pulled out and separated, making repacking rather annoying and somewhat panicky. DeGaulle Airport is a mess. Separate, disconnected terminals that must be accessed via shuttle buses.
 
Our connecting flight is at Terminal B gate D66. Told to take bus to Terminal B-D. On bus we are told we have to get off at Terminal F to get bus to Terminal B-D. Walk through labyrinth Disneyland line waiting for two wrong buses to pass before the right one. Our stop is the last one, before arriving back at where we were waiting for the bus. Packed in. Bus drives on roads with luggage prams driving very slowly that need to be passed.  Terminal 1 is reached by crossing landing strips and then, despite the oval map of our route, we have to retrace our path to snake back to, finally, our stop.

The signage in Terminal B is unclear. After several wrong paths and asking more than a few employees (who are few and far between as they are all seeming to be stationed at the bus waiting stations). Finally we realize that we are to go to Terminal D.  Following the few and incomplete signs and asking someone wandering past the unmanned customs office, we discover we have to exit, re-enter, pass through passport check and then another really infuriating security to get into D.  Then trying to find Gate 66 takes some sleuthing.  Paul is losing his shit at this point while Jo is reminding him that swearing in a foreign country is probably not the best idea. Finally arrive at gate. Enjoy coffee and a pastry at a nearby place before boarding.

Taxi explains he has to drop us off next to the tiny street where the Valletta Design Cluster is located. We turn down his offer to take our bags to our location and we promptly discover that we can't find where we need to go. Ask plumber in van where to go and he says that he's not from around here.....fortunately Jo had a Sim card installed in her phone so she is able to find directions, a minute walk.  Stefan, the jovial, small security guard signs us in and Andrea the director shows us our room for the week.
 
A centuries old, native stone building has been remodeled tastefully to create an ancient modern feel. We take a brief walk to a Discount Market which, when we find that it is cash only, the owner tells us he trusts us to bring the money later. Go to the corner store for more supplies.  Dinner, shower, bed.

Saying Goodbye to Mission Street Arts

3/5/2022

 
After consulting the National Weather Service predictions for the upcoming week we have made the difficult decision to leave tomorrow, Wednesday rather than our scheduled end of the residency on Saturday. We are going change our route to avoid the two waves of snow predicted for the mountains of Colorado and Utah.

We are disappointed that the Cerro Pelado fire made visits to Valles Caldera and Bandelier impossible though it forced us to explore other, less well-known areas.  And it greatly reduced the number of tourists in Jemez Springs while we have been here. We have really enjoyed our experience here - Billy Ehret is a wonderful host/facilitator; Eva, Devin and Oliver have made us feel at home in their home; Janet and her staff at the library were so very helpful - we made sure to see our new friend Mary and now for packing and finalization of some projects before we get back to life on the road.
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