"Love" and "White Shadows" win international architecture prize

The "Love" sculpture in Spinola, derided by many, but not at all objectionable to many others, has been awarded a prize by the International Academy of Architecture.

Few have remained neutral about the sculpture, and it managed to make its way into the media even in the highly charged election campaign.

The "White Shadows" at Font Ghadir in Sliema, and the Love sculptures won a prize as "one of the most outstanding projects" in Interarch 2003, the 10th World Triennial of Architecture, held in Sofia last month.

The International Academy of Architecture is a non-governmental organisation with special status in the United Nation's Ecosoc.

Richard England, who designed the sculpture, said he was "quite pleased with the international recognition" for the works of art, "especially in view of what was said about them, particularly about the Love sculpture."

The Love sculpture, hot for some but made of cold marble, has the word love inverted, so that it can be read upright only in its reflection in the still waters of the bay, or when sunlight casts its shadow on the pavement.

But the reflection of the word is not visible all the time or every day...

Prof. England smiles: "You don't make love every day or love every time of the day. It's a work of art and provides amusement [or exasperation] and people see whatever they want to see in it".

He said there was no need for him to defend the design "as defending implies a form of guilt".

"The concept is a simple one. The Love sculpture is an extension of the White Shadows on the Sliema front. The latter are the only 'people' to cast white shadows.

"I designed the Love sculpture like a sandwich and people walk between the two inverted words. I did a set of two as it takes two to have or make love," he said.

Prof. England said people in Malta seemed to be afraid to "jump into the contemporary world of art. People are afraid of doing it because they are afraid of change".

"The only time we reach consensus in Malta is when we do nothing. If you break away from tradition, you end up in trouble. Had I designed a Cherub or a conventional statue, everyone in Malta would have applauded it. The past is cozy, comfortable and upsets no one, so if you stick to copying what has been done before, you will not have any problems.

"This is the same thing that is happening with the opera house in Valletta. Everyone agrees that the entrance to Valletta is shabby. Propose something for it and all hell breaks loose. It is easy to suggest the rebuilding of the Opera House as it was 100 years ago, when it was designed for the sounds and technology of the time. But it makes more sense to build something representing the age we live in today and have it functional.

"Look at St James Cavalier. A lot of criticism was levelled at us when I was in charge of the works there. It is now the flagship and every artist wants to exhibit there," Prof. England said.

The sculpture created more furore when Prof. England's son Marc launched a CD which was also entitled Love and which was written invertedly like the monument.

Asked about whether there was any truth in claims that he made the sculpture to promote his son's CD, Prof. England remarked tongue in cheek:

"That is one of the most absurd things I have ever heard. It is a very expensive way of marketing a CD. Do people really believe that I went up to the government to have a monument erected to market my son's CD?

"Well, come to think of it, I should encourage Marc to become a tenor, have a repertoire of 17 arias and then tell the government we need to build the opera house so that he will be able to sing there," he quipped.