Iggy Fenech goes behind the bolted doors of the Corradino Correctional Facility to discover how unLOCK, an art installation curated by Pierre Mifsud as part of this year’s Valletta International Visual Arts Festival, has given the inmates the opportunity to express themselves directly with audiences.

I have never been one to believe that only artists can create artworks, but I do believe that anyone who creates artwork is, even for a brief moment in time, an artist.

Pierre Mifsud

For that reason, I will put it out there straight away. The inmates at the Corradino Correctional Facility who worked on unLOCK have proven themselves to be just that – artists with enough vision to impart their message abstractly and skillfully enough to be called art, and clearly enough to be read, deciphered and understood.

In its essence, unLOCK is an exercise in understanding the inmate mindset. How does it feel to be behind bars? How does one feel when his freedom is taken away? What would one have to look forward to? And how important is it to keep hopeful?

While this project is part of a Masters degree by research in art education with the University of Malta (undertaken under the tutorship of Raphael Vella and with the help of Joseph Giordimaina, who is specialised in prison education) these questions weren’t preset. They are questions that the inmates themselves came up with; questions that the inmates themselves wanted to tackle and impose.

unLOCK, as Pierre, a lecturer at the Mcast Institute for the Creative Arts and curator of this multimedia, artistic installation, says, is “an installation that developed as a result of an artistic process taking place over eight months. A project that came to be part of a research study that questions the development of an arts programme and an exhibition based on prison inmates’ educational needs”.

The final installation is quintessentially simple and is based around a sort of collage of boxes, each with a keyhole. Pierre adds that the key that once kept these inmates locked in is the same that will, one day, grant them their freedom. This exhibition is the embodiment of the feelings and expectations that the inmates feel during their time in prison.

The aim of the project is also an educational one that has given them more than just new skills or made the most of their artistic talents. This project, in fact, has also imparted invaluable life lessons that would prove useful once they’re done serving their time, such as working in teams or understanding that to achieve something one must work hard for it.

I created a box about being in prison and longing for freedom. I have been here for a long time and I always think about the day when I will be able to go back to my family

“This notion facilitated the setting up of an intervention programme by means of practical art sessions,” says Pierre. “The culmination of this process is unLOCK, an installation produced throughout the intervention process, thus ending up with a practice-based and creative exhibition.

“The concept behind the installation was not preconceived by myself, however, but, rather, it matured after a series of interviews and focus groups that were conducted with the students. Besides, the inmates were also exposed to the works of local and international contemporary artists and this served as an ignition of creativity.”

The installation then became a large box made up of various boxes – showing the unity of the inmates who worked on them – with keyholes to each allowing audiences to literally peer into the inmates’ minds and souls, never knowing what they’re about to discover. To see all of them, audiences will have to go on their knees or go up a set of steps, “further expressing the sense of ups and downs these inmates feel while they are in here”, says Pierre.

To truly grasp the impact of this project, I ventured into the Corradino Correctional Facility to speak to three of the brains behind the installation.

Going behind Corradino’s high-security doors and walls was an eye-opening experience in many ways, but not in the way many would expect. The people at security are friendly; the waiting room welcoming; the outside area clean and the offices no different to any other government building.

Corradino, to all intents and purposes, is not a place that instils fear or doom – although I do admit that going there knowing I was going to leave in an hour’s time might have clouded my judgement. Yet, this sentiment, I felt, was shared by the three inmates who spoke to me inside the office of the assistant director of the Department of Correctional Services, Mariella Camilleri.

Throughout our interview I was surprised time and time again by the inmates’ enthusiasm for the project and life in general – something I don’t know if I’d be able to muster if I ever ended up behind bars. They’ve done their deeds and they are paying the price for it, but it is clear that this project has given them a joyful purpose amid all the chaos.

“As soon as I was told about the project, I knew I had to participate,” Gerardo José Ruiz Peña tells me, one of the inmates who often creates beautiful pieces of art in the art room at Corradino. “Working together has been an amazing experience and we always sought to help each other out. It brought us together and I feel like we are a family now.”

These feelings were seconded by another inmate, who preferred to remain unnamed. “This experience also brought together people with different skills and talents, including painters and carpenters. It really brought a sense of comradeship into our lives and I’m very happy that I got to work with art once again.”

Together, Pierre and the other key people in this project aimed to make it informally educational, with neither religion, sexual orientation or nationality getting in the way. Pierre didn’t even know what the inmates were in for. It was a blank canvas for all parties involved and one that was meant to be inclusive.

One of the most heartwarming parts of this project, in fact, is the story of the deaf-mute inmate Janno Aun, who participated whole-heartedly in the initiative. Answering some of my questions by putting pen to paper, his answers are equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful.

“In this project, I created a box about being in prison and longing for freedom,” he wrote. “I have been here for a long time and I always think about the day when I will be able to go back to my family. This experience has been very fulfilling, however, and I enjoyed the artistic parts of it.”

Now, with less than two weeks to go to the launch, the project is literally being finalised as we speak and its aims have definitely been reached.

“By involving the diverse skills of the inmates through informal learning, we aimed at giving all those who participated a chance at self-development and learning new life skills,” Mariella said.

“Art, music and drama have been proven to help inmates develop their personality and through such projects they have the opportunity to express themselves and their feelings in a structured way,” she added.

The countdown is now on and the excitement visible in the inmates’ expressions. It’s a wonderful opportunity to get a chance like this. “A measure of freedom of expression in a confined space”, Pierre said.

What I will keep in mind when I do visit, unLOCK, however, is that everything on display was created by these inmates together. Everything that it represents is a dream of someone who, for one reason or another, lost his way but is looking to get back on the right path.

unLOCK runs between September 5 and 20 at the basement of the School of Arts in Valletta. Opening times: 8am-noon Monday to Friday. It is a collaboration between the Education Centre of the Corradino Correctional Facility and The Department of Arts, Open Communities and Adult Education, Faculty of Education, University of Malta as part of VIVA 2015. VIVA 2015 is a Valletta 2018 initiative and is a collaboration between Fondazzjoni Kreattività, Valletta 2018 Foundation, Aġenzija Żgħażagħ and Arts Council Malta.

www.viva.org.mt