This Artist Got So Tired Of All The Cranes Around Malta He Turned The Biggest One Into A Giraffe
As Malta becomes inundated with cranes of all sizes, one Maltese artist has turned the largest crane in the Palumbo dockyards in Cospicua into a massive metal giraffe. Speaking at the end of a project that’s taken around around half a year to complete due to the weather and Palumbo needing to use it, James Micallef Grimauld explained the idea behind Giraffa.
“I gave a zoomorphic identity to the largest crane in the dry docks,” said James. “The installation creates a link between the African and European continent, and for the pattern I made use of derivatives of the Kordofan giraffe, which is one of the most endangered giraffe species due to being found in war-torn parts of Africa,” he said.
“Through the Grand Harbour I gave it a place of refuge.”
He chose the area for the art installation on purpose, to draw attention to how humanity treats the surrounding environment
“This installation is situated in one of the most densely populated areas in Malta which amplifies the need for a change in our views of nature, a change in our relationship with the environment,” he said.
Giraffa was created as part of Valletta 2018’s major visual arts exhibition, Dal-Baħar Madwarha (The Island is What the Sea Surrounds) and will be brightening up the Maltese horizon for the foreseeable future.
Photos by Steve Zammit Lupi and artist
Is this the first giraffe you’ve ever seen in Malta?
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