Barely half a year after being founded, a young Maltese NGO is doing everything in its power to not only raise some much needed awareness on the importance of preserving the island’s environment, but are constantly pushing theirselves to think outside the box to get there.

Last week, ACT put out a call for artworks to be exhibited at Valletta’s Lower Barrakka Gardens all throughout August.

There is, however, one beautiful catch; exploring the issues of over-consumption and waste generation, the artists are being encouraged to use trash. And not just any trash, but trash that was picked up during Kawża Effett, a clean-up hosted by the same NGO last month.

Back on the 23rd and 24th June, ACT’s Kawża Effett saw individuals from different communities getting engaged, first through a coastal clean-up at Fomm ir-Riħ and walking cleanups through Mġarr, and then through a think-thank on the following day to discuss even more concrete ways of moving forward.

Judging by the NGO’s current call for more individuals to join their cause, the young environmentalists really are only getting started. And it’s thanks to initiatives like this upcoming trash-to-art exhibition that they hope to push awareness into the next gear.

Dubbed effett t’effett, the exhibition is only one awesome half of the larger Valletta 2018 project Baħħ Blu (Blue Void).

Baħħ Blu also sees Japanese designers Atelier OMOYA + Space Production Lab collaborate with Maltese poet and book artist Glen Calleja. Exploring the relationship between Malta’s coastal landscape and literature, the two will be coming together in the marine installation Book In The Sea.

As for the previously-mentioned effett t’effett, on the other hand, that will be taking over the land over at Valletta’s beautiful gardens.

Any request for further information – as well as requests to screen the collected waste which will be used to create the sculptures – may be sent to ACT on [email protected].

Proposals will need to include concept sketches and images, a project description (max 100 words), the candidate’s CV or artist’s bio, and a representative portfolio. Any proposal would need to be sent to [email protected] by no later than 16th July 2018.

Results will be announced on the 18th of July, and artists will have until the 4th of August to produce the installations (which cannot have a larger footprint than 2 by 2 metres and of course need to mobile).

Tag someone who should definitely submit a proposal!

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David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).