Iggy Fenech meets seven talented Gozitan friends to discover how they’re furthering Gozo’s name in the arts, culture, fashion and creative industries.
Joeline Tabone, director/founder of Naupaca Dance Factory
“I get inspired by everyday life and by situations that intrigue me. Anything that is worth more than a thought is worth transforming into movement. I also love to constantly interact with new people, and to plunge myself into interesting situations; I’m always in pursuit of things that inspire me. I find it exhilarating.
“I think the reason contemporary dance and I get along is because we’re constantly pursuing innovation, in an interconnected world; and I hope Naupaca Dance Factory manages to continuously mutate and mould itself within a changing world.
“My biggest achievement hasn’t happened yet, though… As a dance-maker I strive for change: and while I acknowledge what has come before, I’m always looking for the ‘right now’.
“Having said that, I think that Gozo was left out for many years, with the spotlight always shining on its sister island, Malta. Throughout the years, Malta has expanded and made a good name for itself.
Gozo was left out for many years, with the spotlight always shining on its sister island, Malta
“Gozo, however, has remained in the shadow and it has kept its organic beauty. Organic supports my ideas of the contemporary, as it is free and mouldable.
“Now, at least, I can say that Gozo is on the right track. In fact, many foreign artists are coming here to collaborate with us, and I can confirm that we’ve got a major collaboration coming up next October!”
Vivienne Bajada, information coordinator
“I busy myself trying to understand what people want, and how to mould and market a product to appeal to an audience; and I believe good PR and marketing are essential to any production.
“I shifted from helping out in student organisations to theatre when Joeline Tabone from Naupaca Dance Factory approached me to help out with last year’s production, Divina.
“I think that over the past few years Gozo has been placed at the forefront of the Maltese cultural calendar through annual events, including operas and the Victoria Arts’ Festival, amongst others.
“Yet, although improvements to Gozo’s cultural scene are undeniable, I would like to see more happening. I believe we need to unlock Gozo’s potential as a cultural region and to provide open-air venues and enclosed spaces to Maltese, Gozitan and foreign companies; to include more sculptural works in public places; to offer creative writing programmes; to organise study tours to well-known and unknown historical spots; and to disseminate culture educationally by targeting all age groups.”
Philip Sultana, senior designer
“It’s hard to tell how I first got into graphic design. Maybe at the age of 12 using Microsoft Paint? Joking aside, I had started by recreating and reinterpreting existing artworks and sharing them online.
“After that, word started to spread and, in no time, I found myself designing stuff for the village festa, logos for rock bands and gig posters. Knowing that people were ready to pay for my services gave me confidence and motivation to keep on improving.
The quality of certain campaigns for Gozo and events happening on the island isn’t up to scratch
“Through my job, I’m now proud to say that I have led the design on several campaigns for local and international brands; and it’s always satisfying to see your work on billboards, TV, signage and products.
“Moreover, our industry is still relatively young and, although it’s heading in the right direction, there is still a lot that can be done. It would be an honour if, looking back 20 or30 years from now, I could see that I would have had somehow contributed positively to the creative sector.
“While I hate being the one to point things out, however, I do have to say that the quality of certain campaigns for Gozo and events happening on the island isn’t up to scratch.
“There are some businesses in Gozo that are on par with, if not better than, their counterparts in Malta when it comes to promoting their visual identity... However, I’m afraid they’re a rare breed.”
Maria Theuma, writer and performer
“I’ve always felt an urge to tell stories. At a young age, I used to spend hours reading fairy tales aloud to myself. As a teenager, I obsessively and devotedly kept a diary. In fact, I still do. For some reason or other, I feel it’s necessary for me to document my experiences and my feelings and to catalogue my memories, in the most honest way possible. I also perform, and I strive to combine words and poetry with other forms of artistic expression.
“Then, three years ago, I started working as a writer and I’m currently working on a number of projects, mostly related to theatre and performance. I’m also exploring ways of presenting the written word in the form of art installation within a gallery… We’ll see.
“What I love about Gozo, however, is that it’s tremendously interesting. Its cultural scene is a beautiful mess, and it’s precisely this chaos that gives us the freedom to create. Everything is spectacularly unsystematic over here. It’s pure – almost like a tabula rasa that allows us to be true to ourselves.”
Luke Azzopardi, designer and visual artist
“I was always been interested in artificiality, fabrics and lighting; and I found myself preferring to work in time-based art, so I think fashion, although sculptural, can lend itself very well to that. My main interests in this sphere are theatrical fashion and highly-stylised costume design, and I run my own brand called ‘Luke Azzopardi – Għawdex’.
“In saying that Gozo’s cultural scene has improved, I would be implying that it was – at some point – worse off than the one on the mainland, but I don’t think there is that discrepancy.
“I find it easier to work from Gozo, and the fact that there are two opera seasons, a yearly international music festival and a number of monthly exhibition openings does say a lot. Having said that, I cannot say that I fully endorse the artistic merit in most of these cases. As in Malta, some works are retardataire.”
Manuel Bonnici, model and graphic design student
“Well, I’m mostly known for my modelling stints, even though I’ve been sketching and designing for years. In fact, I’m currently pursuing a degree in graphic design. “Modelling, however, is something I really enjoy doing as it allows me to be creative in a way I wasn’t used to before.
“My mum was always pushing me to go for it and so I did; and a year ago I met Marisa Grima, who signed me up with her agency, Supernova Model Management and I’ve been with them ever since.
“It’s been great so far, particularly the part where I won the best model/photo model award at this year’s Malta Fashion Awards, and I’d like to take it further.
Some Gozitans have really embraced culture
“I find that some Gozitans have really embraced culture and have exploited their talents, giving Gozo a great reputation. In recent years there has been much praise for creatives from the island, and many have surfaced – which is promising! I look forward to a community that continues to use the resources we have at our disposal to contribute to the culture that defines us.”
Denise Buttigieg, dancer
“Contemporary dance allows me to express myself without the rigid techniques found in other forms of the art, which I feel hinder my emotions. My weekly routine revolves around juggling around 20 hours of dance training and choreography, school, piano lessons, and a few lessons of spirit combat, too.
“Recently I had the opportunity to compose my own piece of piano music – which I then created a choreography for.
“So far, I’m just glad that at such a young age – I’m 14 years old – I have already had many opportunities to dance with foreign professionals, including Francesco Mariottini and Sergey Kheylik.
“There are now many exciting things on the horizon. All this from tiny, lovely Gozo… my home. What more could I ask for?”