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The mural, which was unveiled yesterday, boasts an impressive 33-metre length, brightening up the surrounding area, officially making it the largest mural among others on campus, most notably being that made in memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The month-long project saw every student flourish in their own style, with premeditated designs that seamlessly blended into each other.

“It was a really amazing experience, a new and uncommon for all of us,” Mikael Scicluna told the newsroom, “What made it more interesting was the fact we were seven people all with different styles, and even though we faced hurdles along the way, we all banded together to focus on showcasing the Maltese identity as best as we could.”

From livid crabs destroying unsightly cranes to eco-friendly bees with hardhats, apart from looking pretty, some sections of the artwork really hammered home the students’ frustration with overdevelopment in the country.

However, other areas highlighted the pure creative ability of these artistic up-and-comers, with designs that celebrate Maltese culture and history.

“As a group we took it mostly from a natural standpoint, with an element of humanity and the changes it bring forward” Scicluna continued, “Words like movement, change, diversity, multicultural, time and change kept popping up through our process.”

One eye-catching detail within the full piece are the excerpts from ‘Il-Kantilena’, a 15th century poem that’s been deemed the oldest known Maltese poem, cementing itself as a treasured part of Malta’s linguistic and literary identity.

The themes brought up in the poem coincide with Malta’s modern issues as well as the message the students wanted to convey with their work.

One extract read, “I rise and I fall endlessly on the high seas… There she collapses, my creation, that I spent so long building.”

Lovin Malta also reached out to the co-ordinator of the course, Raphael Vella, for a comment on what sparked the initiative and the meaning behind it:

“The concept behind the mural revolves around the idea that our identity is actually quite porous and needs to be understood in relation to other species, the land, the sea, our history and genetics, etc. The mural portrays identity as an evolving narrative without a clear end.”

Vella expressed his gratitude to Edward Duca, festival coordinator at Science in the City and science communication lecturer at UM, as well as Robert Zahra, fellow lecturer and artist, for helping kickstart this project.

Duca enlightened us with his own comments on the project:

“For me, this mural shows the power of university academics working with others, both within university and roping in other groups of people…The mural is both beautiful and thought-provoking providing a critical reflection on the direction Malta and Gozo have chosen. Research, reflections, and actions in all these fields is what will help us find a better path.”

Congratulations to the talented artists and their mentors for this honourable endeavour!

Have you gotten a chance to see this mural in person?

Image credit to @e.de.ra_
Raphael Vella