How did this grant contribute to the realization of your project in regard to artistic exchange, local cultural development and/or the promotion of cultural diversity?

The KIRANA children’s opera project was organised by Pafos 2017 with the support of the Valletta 2018 Foundation. The support of the Roberto Cimetta fund for the mobility of the 4 Maltese artists to Cyprus was a great help. Thanks to the Roberto Cimetta fund we were able to travel to Cyprus and work with students and artists form the city of Pafos. More than 50 children were involved in this project participating in 3 different workshops leading to the performance. We conducted workshops in contemporary music, dance and digital animation. This is a project which reaches out to the community. We spent a whole week working and living with the children and artists involved. Another important aspect of this project is “legacy”. We empower children to create their own music, movement and artworks so that the project has legacy that lives beyond the performance.

How does exchange, networking and international contacts contribute to the development of your artistic and cultural project?

International contacts and cross-national collaborations are an essential part of the development of any artist. This aspect is even more critical for artists from small countries. Artists in large countries benefit from the dissemination of their work across the nation in various cities. In Malta you cannot tour within the same country because you would still be targeting the same audience. So in my case when I conceive a new project I have to take into consideration mobility for international networking. The Roberto Cimetta fund is a great help to facilitate the mobility of artists leading to the development of the art itself.

Can you elaborate on the learning and knowledge you have gained and shared throughout this experience?

Through this experience, I learnt that Malta has a lot in common with Cyprus. I feel that as Mediterranean islands we share similar challenges. On many levels, we felt that Malta is more advanced than Cyprus in terms of organisation and basic cultural infrastructure. On the other hand all the students as well as the organisations were very committed to this project and had a lot of passion. At the end of the day, regardless the limitations the project was very successful.

Please indicate a link to your current work (website/facebook page)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic3ci3Z0n1I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic3ci3Z0n1I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic3ci3Z0n1I