Still No Sign Of The ‘International Call’ For Gozo’s Azure Window Memorial
It was back in March that the Maltese government announced, with much fanfare, that it was going to issue an international call for suggestions on how to memorialise the Azure Window.
Yet five months down the line, that international call has not been issued yet although people are already starting to design their own initiatives regardless.
When the Window collapsed earlier this year, the government said that it was willing to consider a range of options – from creating holograms of the iconic structure where it had once stood, to recovering parts of the Window from the sea and putting them up for display, to erecting an artistic installation to commemorate the Window, to simply leaving the site as it is.
At a press conference flanked by three other ministers, environment minister Jose Herrera said that the government had decided to issue an international call for ideas after taking into account the widespread global news coverage its collapse had generated.
“We must find ways and means of reaping the site’s economic benefits without damaging the environment,” he said.
Interviewed on Sky News Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said there was a “great deal of local and international interest” in the site and that the government would “proactively” assess all potential options.
Nicholas Roebling Atkinson with his replica of the Azure Window. Photo: TVM
Two weeks ago, an entrepreneur – Nicholas Roebling Atkinson – unveiled a seven-ton concrete replica of the Azure Window which he said he will present to the government when it issues its international call for proposals.
Lovin Malta has sent questions to the tourism and environment ministries, asking them when the government plans to issue this long-awaited call.
Comment below with your best ideas on how to memoralise the Azure Window.
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