Santa Cement: Architecture Students Unveil Holy Statue All About ‘Min Ħexa, Mexa’
Groups interpreted the theme in various ways in order to create their own installation.
One group in particular, led by Julian Cassar and Karl Sammut, entitled theirs “Min Ħexa Mexa”, meaning “those who cheated, succeeded.”
This group ironically put forward the issues found within the Maltese construction industry – rendering their installation a representation of everything an architect should escape from, stated Karl.
Santa Cement, Saint Cement, was created as a result, aptly made of cement. The use of the statue portrays the level of devotion shown towards cement within the industry, ignoring alternative materials and techniques in the process.
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The statue was housed within a pavilion which the students also created, representing a chapel where statues are usually placed in.
“Santa Cement is a false god who took the place of vernacular architecture,” they said.
The students also created a manifestation of Fungus Rock being built up just opposite the pavilion, hinting at the fact that should Malta keep at its hasty construction rate, no rock will be left undeveloped.
“Workshops like these mean a lot to us as they allow students to freely express themselves outside university constraints,” Julian and Karl told Lovin Malta.
“This installation wouldn’t have been possible without SACES and the group of students who helped actualise our vision,” they added.
What do you think of the installation?