Well, according to the four women behind upcoming Cospicua-centric art exhibition Din Mhix Tazza, it’s when that glass is deeply connected to memories, experiences and emotions. Jo Caruana finds out more.

Seemingly lifeless objects can inspire stories in the upcoming project Din Mhix Tazza.

Take a look at the objects around you… What do you see? At a glance, your eyes will probably fall on a book, a mobile phone, a coffee mug, a piece of jewellery…

They’re the sort of things we see – and ignore – every day; inanimate objects with a purpose to play, at best.

But look a little closer. Do you remember who gave you that jewellery and where you first wore it?

Do you remember where you bought the book and what inspired you to read it? And, as for the mug… do you remember those lengthy conversations that were enjoyed over coffee and long into the night?

And just like that, those items don’t seem quite so inanimate after all; they have taken on a life and given you a reason to feel attached to them and to keep them around.

It is this sort of thinking that has gone into Din Mhix Tazza, an upcoming cultural project that has chosen to tell stories inspired by seemingly lifeless objects.

We quickly learnt that nothing is really what it appears to be on the surface

The initiative was dreamt up by a group of friends: Clare Azzopardi, Sara Falconi, Nathalie Grima and Virginia Monteforte.

Each brings something different to the table – including knowledge of anthropology and sociology – and together they chose to work on uncovering the intricate world that is hidden within women’s daily lives.

“It’s the small things that matter,” says Falconi, who has co-handled the administration on Din Mhix Tazza. “The things that may seem insignificant but which the women we met treasure and care for...

“They may be kept in their heart or behind closed doors but, if seen collectively, they build a network of shared sensibility, symbols and connections. As a team, we became fascinated by the possibility of exploring this secret universe and making it visible through narratives.”

Beyond this, their inspiration also came from their discovery of Cospicua, a place that may not be very well known to their future audiences. The town provides a backdrop, urban dimension and framework to the experiences and stories. They chose to invest as much time as possible into the project, giving the women all the time they needed to express themselves through the items they love.

And, as a result, this showcase is intrinsically linked to the things these women hold dear. In fact, the name Din Mhix Tazza was partly inspired by René Magritte’s painting Ceci n’est pas une pipe.

“Every evocated object is the support of memories and emotions; a potential access to something else and a reading between the lines,” continues Falconi.

“We chose a tazza (Italian for cup) given the fact that, at that moment, we were all enjoying some tea. We soon realised that, even among the four of us, the cups in our hands had some meaning – lots of attached emotions and memories. We quickly learnt that nothing is really what it appears to be on the surface.”

Meanwhile, it was Monteforte, who has lived in Cospicua for quite a while, who first suggested focusing on the town. Over the years, she has come to treasure its nuances, rhythms and corners, and also believed it would be the ideal spot for a cultural initiative.

“We don’t deny the social inequalities and poverty that are present there,” says the anthropologist, “but we don’t believe it is any more prevalent than in other parts of Malta. It’s just a deep-rooted misunderstanding and the ‘stigma’ (as the women themselves call it) is actually what motivated our informants to get involved.”

Thus, wanting to challenge the stereotypes that so many of us have come to accept, they met with women of all ages from Cospicua and encouraged them to tell their stories in ways they never have done before.

The results will encourage visitors to the exhibition to look at the other side of the coin and hear the voices of women who have been so under-represented. It gives space for stories told by women – usually about other women such as their mothers, daughters, grandmothers, the Madonna – and gathered by even more women.

“On top of that, the use of anthropology and the arts adds an element of intimacy that’s really precious to the Din Mhix Tazza project. The stories told by the protagonists clearly represent their deep love for their city, their aspirations, dreams, challenges and achievements,” Falconi adds.

“By reading between the lines you can feel part of their hidden world, if only for a short while. It’s a pretty unique experience.”

Now, after a year-and-a-half in the making, the Din Mhix Tazza initiative is set to launch the art exhibition on June 21 in Cospicua’s oldest chapel.

It will be curated by artist Raphael Vella and will be launched alongside a book on the women’s narratives, which was designed by Pierre Portelli. It is hoped that, in the future, the project will expand to feature different localities, and become a tool for cultural visits.

www.dinmhixtazza.wordpress.com