During the past scholastic year, art students from the Sir M A Refalo Centre for Further Studies in Victoria, Gozo, were involved with students attending three other European schools, in a project co-ordinated by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, the Arts and Culture. The Gozitan school is the Maltese representative in a group formed by schools coming from Portugal, Denmark and Slovenia, forming part of a wider project involving 48 schools from 24 countries, in a bid to promote Intercultural Dialogue. This project, entitled ‘Creative Thinking’, was proposed by the organisers as a contribution to mark the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008.

Students from the Sir M A Refalo Centre for Further Studies presented a papier mache’ installation, which they named ‘Egg-York’, in an activity held on the 1st of May. Students from the other three participating schools in their group joined the Gozitan students for this event in Independence Square in Victoria. The bustle generated by the Gozo1234 festival, which had just kicked off, offered these students a better opportunity to gather the opinions of several passers-by regarding the 3metre high installation placed in the square. The reactions of those interviewed together with the sculpture will be presented by the Head of School and four Gozitan art students, in a concluding event to be organised in Gratz, Austria before the current scholastic year comes to an end.

The Minister for Gozo, Giovanna Debono, welcomed the participants in a short address in the island’s main square. The Minister praised the initiative taken by all participating schools, and remarked that such projects foster a sense of unity within a European context whilst they also result in an increase of awareness and respect for diverse cultural identities. The number of participating countries in this project will serve as a worthy exercise in which to promote the cultural diversity while instilling unity and friendship between all participants.

Egg-York, the papier mache’ sculpture created by students studying art at the Sir M A Refalo Centre for Further Studies, under the guidance of their art master Mr Mario Cassar, will also be displayed at an activity to be held within the Gozo 1234 programme in St Peter and St Paul Square, Nadur on Friday the 2nd of May.

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