Investigating change in identity and society in contemporary Malta through a practice-based research project

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to explore the change that has been prevalent in Maltese society in recent years. The research has stemmed from hearing the disputed phrase ‘losing identity’, which hence led to an inquiry about what identity is and if there really is a ‘loss’ of the Maltese identity. Subsequently, what was found throughout the research of the topic was that the Maltese identity is not being lost, rather, it is an identity that is intrinsically transformative. This does not only stem from the current rapid social change regarding globalisation and the increase in foreign influences up on the island’s infrastructure and systems, but it comes from the island’s history regarding multiple occupants that have inhabited the island as well as the link with small island identities, which is different from identities that come from continents. It investigates the topic of material culture studies in relation to the artworld’s depiction of personal and national identity through global artists such as Ai Weiwei and William Kentridge, but also local ones such as Matthew Attard and Clint Calleja. The investigation of change in identity hence needed to be investigated in both the global and local context through the relationships people have with their country’s past, and their attitudes towards their future. To further investigate such matters, it was imperative that interviews with locals were to be conducted, which looked at the childhoods of the people and the observations they had about change. The project has evolved from the idea that construction could be used for the representation of the changing Malta, however, throughout deeper research into the topic, more facets of identity started to show, from language, the people who are present in the island, the symbols used to represent Malta through its tourism industry and the crafts that are deemed to be traditional. These facets of social change were then adopted into a practice based research project, in which depictions of the traditional were juxtaposed with more contemporary imagery such as those relating to technology and industry.