Sporting the apt tag line ‘It all starts here…’, the Mcast end-of- year students’ exhibition has long been a permanent fixture in the calendar of most creatives and artists, thanks to the fact that it gives many the opportunity to familiarise themselves with upcoming artists as well as with all that’s new in the fields of graphic design, textiles, sculpture and photography to name a few.

However, this year’s rebranding exercise has breathed new life into this annual exhibition and taken it to the next level by elevating it to a creative arts event which will have a fixed and recognisable identity.

Well planned and even better structured, each course was divided into sections so that both the casual viewer as well as more informed guests were able to find their way around quickly and easily. Booklets were also handed out for viewers to be able to follow the works’ narrative, as well as their individual descriptions.

In addition to this, workshops, talks and seminars were organised by each department for the duration of the festival. This did not only give students the opportunity to meet respected professionals practising in their respective fields, but it also gave the mentors the opportunity to meet with and possibly recruit new talent to their teams.

Usually submitted as part of or as their entire final course project, the featured pieces are all the fruit of three to four years of hard work and this is reflected in the quality and surprising depth that some students went into. While many of the projects were interesting enough, others really managed to knocking it out of the ballpark, thanks to their innovative ideas and well-polished execution.

When it comes to exhibitions of any kind, I always feel the mark of a good piece is how relevant it is in general, whether or not the concept has been realised clearly and concisely, as well as how it has come together aesthetically. Of course, some of these criteria may or may not lose value if the piece is ultimately able to touch you and make your mind go beyond that which is apparent.

Innovative ideas and well-polished execution

This year, I was particularly excited by the graphic design section of the festival. Apart from the overall standard of work, many of the students tackled current issues, with one of my favourites of the evening being a piece entitled: Aħna fejn Aħna? by Cynthia Chircop.

Chricop’s offering was particularly relevant and moving, a social commentary focused upon the over-development and pillaging of the Maltese islands at the expense of local wildlife.

By using both chromatography as well as graphics, she was able to develop powerful images of modern landscapes with stark white cut-outs of the animals which are fast disappearing from our environment. In each animal, the designer’s powerful statement of Aħna fejn Aħna? stood out in bold, black lettering.

An equally interesting take on Malta’s child obesity problem was the stop-motion food-centred animation by BA (Hons) photography student Marlon Polidano.

Steering away from the usual photographic subjects that have been hashed and rehashed to death, the video showed how to make a healthy fruit smoothie by presenting the viewer with the various components needed and then slowly labelling what each item was before gradually combining them to make the finished product.

The colourful video was a great example of how one can use video to educate using vibrant imagery instead of presenting people with a handbook of dos and don’ts that they will almost certainly refuse at first glance.

An opportunity for creatives everywhere, the newly-rebranded ICA Festival was a well thought-out display of young, contemporary talent and even better executed than I could have hoped for.

Not only was it well curated and accurately labelled and sign- posted (which makes bags of difference when you’re trying to find your way around the endless labyrinth that Mcast can be), but it succeeded in drawing in the casual visitor through its appealing presentation.

 Indeed, should the organising team keep up their heady momentum, they’ll probably be stuck with having an extra, permanent ICA Festival resident.