Marsa



Il-Mahzen, the minds behind etnika and Fringe! Productions will be launching a brand new performance venue - Warehouse no.8 - in the notoriously industrialised Marsa with a concert by the White Russian 5tet on April 25. Teodor Reljic speaks to the venue’s artistic directors and producers Andrew Alamango and Jimmy Grima on how the warehouse will attempt to crystallise and push forward their ambitions of cultivating a space that will allow for fringe activities as well as motivate local artists and the younger public to seek for an individual national identity

Was there a particular point in time in which you realised the need for a change on the Maltese cultural scene?
Andrew: Well, when you intuit the need for change, what you’re really intuiting is a need for improvement in the scene as a whole. We have been organising fringe events for a while now and through such activities have tried to have certain art forms represented, art forms which would otherwise not enjoy any exposure on the island. This tends to include jazz, folk music, electronic arts, interdisciplinary arts, contemporary theatre and dance. I think we realised there is a growing and increasingly discerning audience who are looking for an alternative to the mass and mainstream culture.

Jimmy: The cry for a change in the Maltese cultural scene has always been there and will always be there. There seems to be a consensus about the need for a change within the local artistic community and this is encouraging, because it is an indication that things are progressing. I think that artistic development is always necessary and at this particular moment, a new space run by artists can hopefully facilitate, encourage and enlighten artists and their efforts on this island.

What prompted you to start thinking about setting up an alternative performance venue?
A: I think somehow the idea just made sense at a particular time; when we were busy organising a variety of events but encountered a lack of suitable venues, in organisational and infrastructural terms. We thought that the idea of producing ongoing in-house productions made sense and would also create a hub of activity and, more importantly, a tradition tied with a place which is relevant to the continuity of the activity. We realise that in theatre for example, there’s generally a lack of continuity of production: which means that productions are performed over one or two weekends and never again. This space could offer the possibility of extended runs over a monthly period.
The issue of working space and rehearsal space tends to be a problem with performing and visual artists. Warehouse no.8 offers options for artists to use 500m2 in creative ways, apart from just a rehearsal space.

J: I also think that the venues available at the moment are either very busy with events on their own agenda and over time, because of sustainability issues, their programme broadened and broadened, and slowly, the venues started to deviate from their original mission statement, most probably - in my opinion - because they are dependent on the government and they have to follow some sort of inflexible agenda.

Why was Marsa chosen as a location?
A: The Marsa area, as much as it’s been over-industrialised, has quite a charm. The industrial feel itself is reminiscent of many other industrial areas that were also eventually turned into artistic areas. The run-down areas tend to be generally occupied by artists (because they are cheap) and then turned into centres of artistic activity that generate interest and artistic production. This leads to an organic development of the area which eventually draws and generates economic activity. This could have happened to Valletta years ago, but instead, value of property and property investment ruled out possibilities of access to spaces for artists. This leads to an artificial sense of revival rather than an organic development. Then usually justified and enhanced through tourist-oriented activity. This space in Marsa could generate cultural and artistic activity and draw audiences to a previously unexplored area which has lately been talked about through the harbour plans. It therefore made sense to look into these areas as activity could start to generate economic and artistic activity.

Do you think that - as your intense excavation of Maltese culture and folklore with etnika shows - what Malta needs is to first and foremost discover (or recover) its own voice and make the best use of it before branching on to different international influences, whatever the art form? Or do you believe that Malta can branch out without running the risk of dilution? Would Warehouse no. 8 touch upon any of these issues in the format of events that you are planning to set up?
A: We strongly believe in our own voice. There are many upcoming contributors to this voice with no issues on identity or the sort. This is more evident with the new generation of artists. We do, however, feel the need to expose certain disciplines which would otherwise not be present on the local calendar. There is a strong element of education in these activities which would benefit new generations. We think that because of this, it’s important to showcase foreign artists and theatre, as well as create a context to showcase alternative and niche local artists within the same field. The place is also ideal for collaborative work and will only continue to operate if it extends Euro-Med wide.

J: I am working at having the warehouse running on two programmes, one of them national and the other international. By national, I mean local work by local artists with a Maltese identity. I am not interested in imported scripts from London and America or bands that just adopted a style which is a hit abroad and has no strong connection with our island. The Maltese suffer greatly from the effects of post-colonialism. This is not in-your-face like other countries, however, in the creative industry we still have the mentality that foreigners are better because they are foreigners. Of course, I understand that as people are not used to a culture of musicians, artists, performers and poets who are Maltese. If you ask an average Maltese university student who listens to jazz who his favourite musicians are, he won’t say Sandro Zerafa, he would tell you Miles Davis or Chet Baker. Anywhere else in Europe, a jazz fan would first mention a strange name you have never heard of (which would turn out be a local musician) before moving on to listing Miles Davis and Chet Baker. I want to create a national awareness of Maltese artists and performers. That’s why I want school kids to attend these events and be updated at school about Maltese artists and what’s happening.
I am tired of hearing the same old story: “because in Malta we don’t have good artists, there isn’t good theatre.” Then I would mention some performance I would have seen and the person complaining about bad theatre wouldn’t know about it. Eventually I would realise that this person hasn’t been to the theatre for a year or so. Maltese are not proud of other Maltese. Etnika managed to touch the public with their project. They manage to make traditional music pop in Malta. Why? I think it’s for three main reasons: 1. Their stuff is very good; 2. Their raw materials are songs that everyone on the island sang when they were kids; 3. Because they went national. They didn’t just reach 300 people with their concert but thousands of Maltese know about it. So hopefully, the warehouse will repeat some of the very good shows that are put up during the year and are poorly attended or that have poor technical maintenance, whilst ensuring top quality on every level and carrying across to as many people as possible.
Reaching out to the younger generation is also a very high priority for us. If we manage to convince 1% of the new generation that if they want to be artists, it means nothing less than being a lawyer or manager and in reality, it’s much more fun, then my mission would have been a big success. Because if 6000 kids want to be artists then there will be a big national consensus that art needs to be supported. It’s useless sit at home pretending the government or God will send you a bag full of money so that you could enlighten the country with your art. It was never liked that and it will never be.
On an international level, I think Maltese artists are in serious need of networking. Living on an island naturally blocks us from making contact with anyone outside our borders; so you get annoyed, you lose inspiration and energy. Artists should have the right to access information about festivals, seminars, workshops and other artists. They should know what’s going on out there, not to copy or to get inspired but to assure themselves that they are not alone or crazy and to know the real truths. We still have this pie-in-the-sky kind of attitude of ‘making it’ in London or Paris. I want the Maltese to collaborate with artists from London and Paris, as Valletta is a European capital city as much as Paris and from personal experience, artists in Europe, even big names, get excited about Malta just because it’s an island in the Mediterranean. However, there is no platform or showcase that is really being effective in creating such collaborations and networking. The networks that exist are usually personal and because we are islanders we tend to be possessive. So rather than sharing information we keep it hidden under our bed. I commit myself to give out as much information as possible to local artists, help them in networking and assist them in production through warehouse no.8.

The problem with a lot of local cultural events is that they seem to attract the same crowds over and over again (and this does not seem to be limited to just 'niche' events). Do you agree that this is the case, and if so, how would Warehouse no. 8 attempt to solve this problem?
A: Well, you’ll always get a group of ‘regulars’, but I think it also varies from event to event and like I said, there is a growing and more discerning audience. This is probably due to the fact that more people are being exposed to various art forms and are becoming more demanding. This shows the importance of generating ongoing audiences through exposure and informal education, which Warehouse no. 8 will emphasise and create through, for example, matinee concerts of visiting artists for school children. We can’t stress enough the importance of such educational experiences for the future of arts and culture.

J: Cultural events attract the same crowds all over the world, maybe with the exceptions of London and Prague, which managed to invent and sell their artistic scene to tourists. I think Malta has triple the potential of London to sell, not the beaches and the sun (and by now, thanks to the wonders of Google Earth, people know that our beaches are not the most extraordinary thing that they will see) but its culture and world heritage. If the Warehouse project takes off, we are aiming at having ongoing activity with a hybrid mix of disciplines, productions and genres. This will attract different audiences from the island and if they like their experience at the warehouse hopefully they will start coming just for the sake of it, regardless of the category the event would fall under.

How representative is the White Russian 5tet with what you will be attempting to do with the new venue (if at all)?
A: White Russian is representative of the Maltese artist who left the country due to lack of artistic and professional opportunities, who is now coming back to showcase his achievement locally. I think we would only benefit from the current exodus of local artists to the continent by creating opportunities for them here as well. Which means creating a context in which they can contribute their experience and artistic knowledge. Otherwise they would be lost to the multitude of audiences and artists that exist within every city on Europe. As regards the venue, we intend to showcase this band by keeping the space raw to be used as an industrial space in a new context. Nu-Jazz will hit the airwaves in Marsa for a change, rather than just truck vibration and soot. The warehouse itself poses massive challenges that we will overcome in time as well as great physical demands. But we’re confident that this is a good thing with massive potential and a great contribution to the cultural scene.

Would there be any criteria in place for artists willing to perform at the warehouse?
A: Yes. We are setting up an artistic board, to help in the selection of activities. We are interested mainly in the contemporary and interdisciplinary arts: cutting edge stuff which is not generally seen locally. We also place great emphasis on collaboration and innovation.

J: Andrew is right. I would only add the national identity in the events or projects happening in the warehouse. No import or copying. I think that if the artists make a tiny effort to dig into this rock they will find a lot of raw materials to work with.

Warehouse no.8 can be found off Racecourse Street, Marsa (near BOV - just follow the signs). The concert starts at 20:30 and tickets at €11 are available from St James Cavalier or at the door. For more information on the venue and ticketing call 21223216 or 79404134.