Music in Malta:
From Prehistory to Vinyl
Project Info
Located between Europe and Africa, the Mediterranean has always been a melting pot of artistic expressions and ideas from the continents bordering it. In the process of moulding their own identity, the Maltese Islands, situated right in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, have absorbed various influences from these diverse cultures.
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The project Music in Malta - From Prehistory to Vinyl was an exhibition that covered the history of music in Malta from prehistory to the early twentieth century. Through a display of musical instruments sourced from Maltese private and public collections, and through the use of multimedia technology, and sound and narration transmitted through wireless audio guides, this exhibition explored the music and musical instruments that have weaved their way through the Island’s rich history.
Project type
Multimedia Exhibition and Documentary
Produced by
Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malta, December 2018 - June 2019
Role in Project
Member of the creative production team of the exhibition
Field and Audio recordings, audio production and sound design
Awards
Production of The Year 2020, Malta Arts Award by Arts Council Malta
Location
Exhibited at Mdina Cathedral Museum (Malta) between 14 April and 16 June 2019
“An exhibition that celebrates the richness and diversity of music in Malta and its neighbouring countries merits that extra attention where the sonic aspect is involved. Together with the whole team, I am looking into making sure that each patron's experience will be enhanced with the particular treatment of sound, as the encounter with each section of the walk-through unfolds. The aim is to have different spaces charged with their own distinct identity and atmosphere and sound will surely play a very important role in the shaping of these spaces. Headphones, delivering sound-designed audio tracks, will weave the narrative of the exhibition in a particularly focused manner.”
Renzo Spiteri, 2019
“Since its inception, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti has always prided itself in being at the forefront of Malta’s exhibitions and their overall visitor experience. We have strived hard to reach uncompromising standards in the hope of putting the Maltese islands on the international map.
Music in Malta – from Prehistory to Vinyl, FPM’s latest project, is to prove no different. With the use of multimedia technology this exhibition explores the music and musical instruments that have weaved their way through the Island’s rich history. Through wireless audio guides, sound and narration will lead you through this journey of musical artefacts. A feast for the senses, this exhibition hopes to evoke and provoke whilst remaining true to the context for which it was created."
Michael Lowell
CEO, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti
Production of The Year 2020
Music in Malta: From Prehistory to Vinyl
Arts Council Malta's Il-Premju għall-Arti, are the national arts awards which celebrate the achievements of the cultural and creative sectors in Malta. The awards acknowledge excellence in artistic work premiered during the preceding year.
Documentary
A short documentary narrated by a series of short interviews by some of the team members behind the project; curator Dr Anna Borg Cardona, sound designer and composer Renzo Spiteri, as well as other music historians and musicians.