This Sunday, San Lawrenz is inviting the public to experience the closing events of Where Traces Lead: a celebration of its first artistic residency.

Over the past three weeks, six artists from across Europe have been immersed in the rhythms and textures of the village, working closely with local communities to create site-specific artworks that reflect San Lawrenz’s identity from within.

Curated by Elyse Tonna and produced by the San Lawrenz Local Council, the residency was shaped around presence and exchange. The participating artists (selected via an open call) – Gabriela Irzyk, Victor Jakobsson, Ed Dingli, Pep Walls, Jamie Barbara, and Paulina Jaksim – responded not just to the landscape, but to daily gestures, spoken memories, children’s drawings and the soundscapes of the village.

“From the outset, our approach was one of careful listening,” says Artistic Director Elyse Tonna. “Rather than arriving with fixed ideas, the artists’ projects were shaped by the place – by the people, the rituals, the silences and sounds and the stories. The resulting works are not only site-specific, but people-specific – traced through shared time, collective making and mutual care.”

A key aim of the residency was to explore where traditional and lived heritage meets contemporary practice. Rather than treating heritage as static, Where Traces Lead invited artists to engage with local customs, rituals and gestures as living, evolving forms – creating dialogue between the inherited and the emerging.

From murals painted with the children, to soundscapes composed from village footsteps and bells and choreographies interwoven with folk traditions, each work carries the imprint of lived exchange. “The artworks do not impose meaning, but open up new ways of sensing and inhabiting the village. Together, they offer a portrait of San Lawrenz that is layered and resonant,” said Ms Tonna.

Mayor Noel Formosa remarked that, “this has been more than a residency. It’s been a moment of true connection between the artistic team and our community – a celebration of who we are. I am deeply proud of what we have created together.”

The Local Council said that it extends its heartfelt thanks to the dedicated project team: Artistic Director Elyse Tonna, EU Project Administrator Michelle Vella and the Executive Secretary Josianne Cassar. “Special thanks go to Ms Anita Sciberras, Head of San Lawrenz Primary School – Gozo College Dun Salv Portelli, and to the teachers and students who warmly welcomed the artists and actively participated in the process.”

The Council also expressed its gratitude to the Ta’ Cangura Folk Group, the Festa Group, the bell-ringers, San Lawrenz Parish Church, Villa San Lawrenz, 2point3 and all residents and others who offered their time, space and stories.

Final Day Programme: Sunday, the 27th of April – 10am – 7.30pm

Location: San Lawrenz Village Square and Primary School

10:00: hossTrace: Soundwalk with Gabriela Irzyk (San Lawrenz Main Square)

11:00: Constellation of San Lawrenz: Meet the artist Victor Jakobsson (San Lawrenz Main Square)

16:00: Echoes of the Animate and Intergenerational Shapes of San Lawrenz: Meet Ed Dingli and Pep Walls (San Lawrenz Primary School)

17:30: Where Laces Lead: Performance by Paulina Jaksim and the Ta’ Cangura Folk Group (San Lawrenz Main Square)

18:30: Aftertone/Ritual by Jamie Barbara (San Lawrenz Parish Church)

All events are free and open to the public. Visitors are encouraged to explore the works, attend performances and meet the artists.

Where Traces Lead is part of the project Enhancing the Rural Artistic Characteristics of San Lawrenz, led by the San Lawrenz Local Council and funded through the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 (LEADER).

Bell ringers of San Lawrenz – photo by Jamie Barbara

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