In the midst of the construction havoc Malta is currently going through, SACES brought into question the Maltese identity and what is left of it
SACES held their 4th annual debate this Wednesday: STRIP // The Maltese Identity. The event took place at Fortress Builders in Valletta and hosted 7 esteemed speakers including, Prof. Godfrey Baldacchino, Dr. Irina Miodragovic Vella, Prof. Alex Torpiano, Architect Konrad Buhagiar, Dr. Shirley Cefai, Dr. Rachael Marie Scicluna and Mr. Joseph Magro Conti.
The experts present differed vastly in their definition of Maltese identity.
Mr. Magro Conti prioritized the vernacular as being intrinsically Maltese as it represented how previous generations made do with the building materials they had. However Dr. Cefai and Dr. Sciculna emphasised how all the foreign influence we have endured is part of the Maltese identity because identity is always shifting and changing. Dr. Miodragovic Vella continued:
Any foreign influence depended on our local resources mainly stone … The Maltese never copy-pasted from abroad but adapted these influences into Malta context
Prof. Torpiano diverged completely, claiming that he is unsure what our identity it is.
He outlined the only common feature in all our architecture to be stone, anything that arrived here became Maltese because of this.
Continuing on the aspect of foreign influence and events of colonialism, Dr. Cefai claimed that we did not inherit anything from foreigners, rather we developed it. Prof. Torpiano said that we should not continue to treat colonialism as an imposition.
It is an evolution where we adapt everything to our technologies, mindsets and resources
Prof. Torpiano
Dr. Miodragovic Vella and Dr. Sciculna said that the foreign influence is not the threat to our identity, rather it is our wastefulness of our own resources and qualities. There is an ultimate disrespect for stone and quarries supply will only last till 2036, said Dr. Miodragovic Vella.
We need to stop using concrete as a solution for everything and look at the resources we have
Dr. Miodragovic Vella
Tropiano argued that concrete is not the issue as it has been around since Roman times. “A 20-story building in stone is no more Maltese than a 20-story building in concrete,” he said. At this rate we need to find a new material to model in a Maltese way, Dr. Miodragovic continued in agreement.
The debate then ended on a political note
“Our architecture represents our values … unfortunately our values today are about making money” – Prof. Torpiano
Unregulated building is fragmenting our social structure, said Dr. Scicluna. We need a government that takes architecture seriously and is socially responsible.
We as people also need to be educated about our rights to appropriate architecture as well, said Dr. Scicluna, particularly open spaces. “The notion of open public spaces in Malta is non-existent,” said Dr. Miodragovic.
