Next, we saw another installation piece at MICAS by the curator of the show, Ruth Bianco, an artist and lecturer interested in art and architecture. When I first saw this piece I also felt confusion but, in the sense that I was curious about the artist's interpretation of her piece, since there so many pieces. Her work immediately reminds me of the colorful doors and window’s you see when walking down the streets of Valletta. This piece was actually above the colors of Malta, and the doors were actually recycled doors reclaimed for the project, hence tying the pieces to the theme of “connecting geographies”. This artwork relates to the doors which shaped Maltese culture and shaped people’s feelings due to the colors. The actual hues are anything but the primary color, in fact, they are a muted- down version to work more aesthetically with the space. This created a calm and melancholy feeling. The Maltese artist's use of the doors was really left to be interpreted by the audience's imagination. I’d like to believe that these pieces symbolize a connection between two cultures, behind the doors, there is another.
In MICAS, the space was very large, hence meaning each piece got a lot of space. This affects the way the pieces are presented because the artists can take advantage of the space. For example, "the Radiant" by Ugo Rondione, was the main piece of the garden at MICAS. It was centered in the middle of the garden, with only chime bells surrounding it. The audience is thus immediately drawn to it. The way “the Radiant” is positioned also helps Radione convey his overall message, as in the statue almost representing the sun, the center of our solar system (in this case the garden). Similarly, Ruth Bianco’s artwork also shared qualities about its position that should be noted. The stones were hung from the ceiling of an interior and the artist explained how they represented the center of gravity while the hanging pendulum pieces of stone represent how the earth moves. This is one way it relates to the theme of “connecting geographies”, as in any country in the world would have the same gravitational stand-point. These columns of stones are placed above a Zen meditation pool of water, so it is interesting to note that at night there are lights placed directly above the stones. The beautiful image of light cascading down the stones to reflect in the water gives the theme of “connecting geographies” as an almost heavenly atmosphere. In my opinion, this was done both for the aesthetic effect, and to celebrate the importance of connecting geographies.
For me, the artwork would feel rather stone cold if I couldn’t interact with them. However, noting that interaction was possible, such as ringing chime bells hanging from the trees in the garden in the first example, using the doors in the second, and moving the stones in the third example, really brought out the idea of inclusiveness which conveyed the idea behind “connecting geographies”.
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