Heritage Malta with the support of ‘The Farsons Foundation’ is organising a festival of Arts and Crafts featuring Festa Street Decorations from around Gozo and Malta. The first edition of this festival which was launched with the intent of promoting our intangible heritage will be held on Sunday the 2nd of May at the National Museum of Ethnography in the Inquisitor’s Palace in Vittoriosa.

Many admire the street decorations that together with other festa aspects manifest the religious devotion of many, yet very few are aware of the skills required to produce them. In addition to a lot of dedication one requires several artistic skills and trades which have come down from previous generations. For the first edition of the festival the Inquisitor’s Palace will be hosting several artists and artisans who will be working on design, tailoring, and painting for textile decorations, carpentry and fibre work, marbling, sculpting, gilding, metalwork and statuary for the more monumental decorations, light festoons and liedna-making.

The festival will include two temporary exhibitions related to the world of feasts. Paul Muscat will put up an exhibition of clay miniature models of festa street decorations and other aspects of the Maltese feast. Anthropologist Jeremy Boissevain is lending a selection of photographs dating back from his fieldwork research documenting the Maltese feast in the 60s. The documentary ‘Gozo-Festivals in the Sun’ (Citadel Video Communications, 2001) will be screened and a number of talks related to the theme will be delivered. Art historian Victor Caruana will talk about the development of papier-mâché statues while Dr Godfrey Farrugia will deliver a talk on the world of fireworks manufacture with special reference to the cinematic production “Xrar.” Intangible heritage also delves into traditional gastronomy, thus this festival will also host a traditional nougat stand accompanied by insights into the production of this typical festa delight.

The festival will be held in the Inquisitor’s Palace between 2.00pm and 6.00pm and will offer the possibility to those present to meet the artisians at work. The entrance fee is €2, which covers participation in the festival, and a small publication. Children under twelve can enter free of charge.

Permalink: Festival of Arts & Crafts featuring Festa Street Decorations