Some jolly news at last
I love what Renzo Piano is proposing for the opera house ruins and the adjacent empty space. I watched the video of his interview on timesofmalta.com this morning, and can’t wait to see the plans.
He would be the one to come up with the perfect solution: both a theatre and parliament, maximising the use of the space and taking Valletta back to what it was, with buildings right up to the walls.
I agree so wholeheartedly that the ruins should be preserved because they are an evocative monument in themselves. They are a monument to Valletta’s terrible suffering and devastation during World War II. It would be wrong to preserve nothing that reminds people how Valletta was laid waste. Piano is right in saying that rebuilding it would be “fake” and that the ruins themselves have a great deal of emotional resonance.
I’ve argued for years that the ruins should be cleaned up and treated as a hallowed space. They are not just any old demolished building. They have huge significance. My problem was that a decision seemed to have been taken to build something on that space – theatre or parliament – and given the choice between the two I favoured a parliament house. I value democracy far more than I do the performance arts, and would much prefer a symbol of the one than the other.
Of course, Malta’s 400,000 architects and arbiters of culture and taste have begun to make their sarcastic comments already, but that’s always going to happen.
On a more minor note, but a pleasing one too, I am so pleased that the cafe tables on Queen’s Square have been parted to allow a clear view to the statue of Queen Victoria. When I was little, that statue used to stand in solitary splendour and we used to feed the pigeons around it. Then over recent years, she came to be buried in a sea of parasols. Moving those tables was a small thing that’s made a great difference, though I have no doubt that reaching agreement with the cafe-owners can’t have been a small thing at all.
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Christopher Woodward’s “In Ruins” (paperback, 2002) is a pretty decent read.
Renzo Piano is now eligible to be elected honorary member of that distinguished association of archaeologists whose motto is: “My career is in ruins.”
Now WHY did I know you’d say so, Daphne?
I heard his interview this morning. I hope it is enough to silence the Jacks-of-all-trades (but the experts of none) in this country. It’s what I’ve been trying to tell people all along: architecture is not about restoration, and trying to build something with the architecture of another time makes the building fake.
It means that it is not the original structure. It doesn`t mean that it is “fake”. Fake suggests some sort of intentional deception in order to take advantage of someone. It is not a useful word in this debate. Buildings the world over have been restored after wars when the people who have to live with them and in them have wanted them restored.
[Daphne – Restoration is not the same thing as rebuilding.]
Personally, I think there has been an unfortunate “do one and get one free” remit that has apparently been entrusted to Piano. The opera house is one structure while city gate is another. The way things have been confounded, you wouldn’t think it. It all smacks of the much-beloved “ejja, ha morru!” approach. It is as if Piano is not prepared to get the cranes and diggers out for just one project. Give me two or no deal!
[Daphne – No, the reason is because the whole project has to be conceived as a whole.]
A Piano structure on the site of opera house, I can live with. Valletta is a modern but in some ways decaying city which probably needs with a breath of fresh architectural air. However, I will never, ever forgive the parties involved if they deliver some horribly slavishly modernistic monstrosity in place of city gate which will date in our lifetime (I am 36). City Gate is part of the bastions. It should be restored in a style in keeping with the bastions.
I am not an architect and I will never be an architect but I think I will punch my monitor quite hard if I hear another suggestion along the lines of “only professional architects are qualified to comment on the aesthetics of buildings. Shut up and let them decide for you.”
Why does the project have to be conceived “as a whole”? Whose diktat is that? Where do these directives come from?
[Daphne – Because it is an integral space. It’s like when you get dressed, and find it’s best to match your shirt to your trousers to your shoes.]
Re matching “shirt to trousers to shoes”. Here’s a suggestion:
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/anglu-farrugia-in-a-mosque.jpg
With the same reasoning if you are suffering from a heart ailment you should go to a florist since his opinion is as valuable as that of a cardiologist.
I like the idea of incorporating the remains in a new theatre but am reserving judgement on the parliament building till more details are out. Daphne, what do you think of the new Acropolis museum? It looks great inside but I’m not sure of the outside. About time the Brits gave back the Elgin marbles.They really have no more excuses.
[Daphne – I don’t think the British Museum should send the Elgin marbles back to Greece. That would set the most Godawful precedent and strip the world’s leading museums of many of their primary exhibits. We can’t apply the laws and mores of the present to the past.]
I don’t think anyone is suggesting that legally purchased art/artifacts should be returned. It’s just the stuff that was stolen/pillage/looted/smuggled. The Egyptians have run a campaign for the return of stolen artifacts and it’s been relatively (and surprisingly) successful.
I don’t believe the Hermitage (if you ignore the fact that a substantial part of it is ‘nationalised’ private collections) the Uffizi, or the major US museums would be emptied if they applied something that is not a more of the present but goes back a while. Thou shalt not steal – not a book I quote very often.
[Daphne – The whole point is that it wasn’t stealing. There was no legislation that made it a crime to take things from archaeological sites. Even in Malta, we didn’t have an Antiquities Act until, as I recall, 1925. So before that, it was pretty much a free for all. If you didn’t take it, somebody else would. When Elgin took those marbles the building was being used as an arsenal. Respect for the integrity of archaeological remains is a very new concept in historical terms. Look at us, in our own time: to very many, the opera house ruins have no value as ruins; they want them removed and replaced with a new building.]
That’s a bit weak. You don’t need specific laws for specific kinds of stealing. You could use that argument to justify Gift of Life’s campaign.
[Daphne – Stealing presupposes that there is an owner. The underlying assumption before the Antiquities Act, or its equivalent elsewhere, was that artefacts found in tombs were owned by no one since the original owner was, very obviously, dead. If the tombs were on privately owned land, then the theft was considered to have been made from the landowner, but certainly not from the state. The point is that you cannot use the laws and thinking of the present to analyse the past. When Elgin took the marbles, he wasn’t committing a crime, and he wasn’t stealing.]
Not that Wikipedia is the ultimate arbiter but it says that Elgin was criticised as a vandal and a looter by his contemporaries (the article is an interesting read, especially the results of a poll in the UK about how people would vote in a referendum about returning the marbles).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgin_Marbles
[Daphne – I wouldn’t go on that. There was an excellent article in one of the London broadsheets last week – I’m afraid I can’t remember which – that put the situation into the proper perspective. Claiming that Elgin was talked about as a looter and vandal by his contemporaries would be like, for example, assessing me 150 years from now on the basis of what was written about me by Maltastar and Toni Abela.]
So this is not a new idea. He was given permission to ‘remove pieces of stone from the ground” by the Ottoman occupiers and he interpreted this to include the marbles which were still in their place in the Parthenon.
[Daphne – The Ottoman rulers were using the place as an arsenal at the time, so they wouldn’t much have cared. People then didn’t think as we do today. It was just another building.]
And then he sold them to the British Museum.
[Daphne – Not really. He kept them for many years and they were sold with the rest of his goods and chattels when he became insolvent.]
The Elgin marbles were transported by ship, which docked in Grand Harbour. Here they were transferred to another vessel which took them to England. The story goes that on arrival it was found that one of them was missing. Who knows – maybe a slice of the Parthenon rests on the harbour bed, or perhaps graces a local home?
Seeing that the Greeks used to burn their marble statues to make lime for plastering their houses we should thank Elgin for saving the best-preserved caryatids.
The laws and mores of the present should be applied to the past when condemning disciplinary manners in orphanages.
Wot no pseudo-Barry replica being built on this hallowed ground. That will have the Barryphiles crawling out of the woodwork.
An opera house with no roof ! Shock! Horror ! Roll out the sal volatile (smelling salts).
I cannot wait to see the posts over the next few days.
I cannot wait to see Renzo Piano’s plans for Valletta. What I have seen, I already like. No doubt there will be the usual moaners but I sincerely hope that government will move ahead with the project. No more stalling please, we have already wasted so many years.
timesofmalta.com – Mike Magri (1 hour, 44 minutes ago)
So.. A Parlament in Freedom Square..Ehhh…!!!
Haa Haa… Meaning (1) A ” nicey nicey ” political move to end and completely eliminate the rememberance of Freedom Day from Valletta City, and (2) To disturb and maybe counting the days of the end of the Carnival Festivities which so far have been taken place there, and then EVEN Carnival itself…!!!
Amazing how everyone seems to have made the open space suggestion. Great minds ….
Dear Daphne
Here is one for your investgative journalism. As you probably know state schools will break up for their summer holiday this coming Friday 26th June. Apparently, Achille Ferris primary school of Msida has informed its pupils that they will break off as from Wednesday 24th June, but they must bring a sickness certificate covering Wed 24th to Friday 26th. Surprisingly, parents obliged and this morning scores of certificates were presented to the school head.
This is outrageous: not only are we encouraging children to abuse the system but we are also showing them how it’s done. Shame of those doctors who issued these certificates.
[Daphne – Let’s find out if this is correct first.]
Dear Daphne
Can confirm as I have a nephew attending the school.
thx
FS
Like all ruins, the opera house site has its own story to tell. It’s a reminder of an important part of Malta’s history for which most physical reminders (in the form of buildings) have been replaced or removed. The remains of the opera house should have always been a monument to the islands’ (peace-keeping) contribution in WW2, to the human lives lost, and to the loss of parts of Malta’s colourful architectural heritage.
Instead, it has since been treated with disrespect and periodically dismissed as an ugly eye-sore. As all ruins, it takes time for people to recognise their prestige (think the Berlin Wall – the few remaining sections are now tourist attractions). So it’s good to know that these ruins have now made it to a point were they have been spared removal, and will now be incorporated in a prestigious project for the city’s entrance by a world-renowned architect.
It’s not the Colosseum, but the ruins of the opera house will hopefully gain the respect they always deserved. Furthermore, retaining the original purpose will symbolise the people’s defiance to war, this in itself making the open-air theatre a symbol of peace. This is just my opinion, and naturally I don’t expect everyone to agree.
Haven’t seen any pictures yet, but the description alone is inspirational.
Also, Renzo Piano can utilize the old railway station beneath Freedom square.
The Yellow Garage will be the parking area for parliamentarians.
Personally, I find the idea of an open air theatre interesting. I hope that the most is made out of Piano’s plans.
Until Saturday, may I suggest Piano be granted a stay of execution. Instead, take a look at this:
The Acropolis Museum
A preview
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7381738.stm
The opening
http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/default.php?pname=Home&la=2
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8110010.stm
In pictures
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8110091.stm
Bernard Tschumi – The architect behind this gem.
http://www.tschumi.com/
Just today I stopped at St. Anne’s Square in Sliema, and really enjoyed the open space and serenity of this place amid the chaos around. The removal of that old Pace shanty construction has worked wonders for this place. Likewise, the removal of that awful eyesore of tables and sun umbrellas at Queen’s Square in Valletta should also be removed without delay, because not only are they infringing on public property but they are ruining one of Malta’s main historic squares. The same thing goes for those awful open-air restaurants in St.John’s Square.
The first designs that Renzo Piano submitted years ago for the Main Gate of Valletta would have categorized us as an Arab country and associated us more with North Africa than Europe. So much for his knowledge of local history.
Some of his designs are monstrous e.g. the Pompidou Centre in Paris which looks like a heap of staging in a shipyard. Of course, he has some excellent concepts in different locations around the world so let us all hope that his concept for Valletta will be one of his better ones.
Nigel
You are perfectly entitled to your opinions but defining the Pompidou Centre as monstrous is very superficial. You may say unconventional but labelling it as monstrous means that you fail to capture all the nuances of that great project. An architectural project is not just about aesthetics (which in this case where, in my opinion, appropriate) but also about function. The greatness of Piano is that he can mould both design and function to create works of art in a manner very few can do.
Joseph, I’m not saying he’s not talented, far from it. But most agree that some of his designs are unconventional and not necessarily to everyone’s taste.
If you look at the Pompidou Centre from the front it looks like a trellis with a rollercoaster track for a stairway. Sorry but that is the impression that I got when I first saw it.
His idea of turning the old national theatre ruins in Valletta into an open air theatrical centre or whatever still has to be decided upon. I for one would prefer to have that plot totally demolished, all those ugly shops surrounding its base removed, and the site rebuilt into the suggested parliament building/house of representatives, leaving the Palace to be used as it was originally meant to be.
[Daphne – Parliament house is going up on the empty space now called Freedom Square. I think you should have read the whole of the news report. It would have helped reassure you.]
These crazy ideas that some people have, to send parliament to St.Elmo’s, and to convert such a prime area as the theatre’s ruins into a crafts and art centre, operatic theatre etc, without the necessary facilities to accommodate patrons (suitable parking areas, vehicular access in winter, etc) leaves a lot to be desired.
Joseph, let’s all hope that his designs for Valletta will be a work of art as you might be suggesting.
I wish more Maltese would talk about Valletta the way Renzo Piano does.
He’s Italian.
Mhux ghal xi haga imma int f’hiex tifhem?
@Daphne
Last Sunday I was very disappointed to find that your weekly article was missing on the Independent. what happened?
[Daphne – I was otherwise engaged in Amsterdam]
Joey and co. must have breathed a sigh of relief.
I really love the idea of an open air theatre – it is is so Mediterranean in the best sense of the word – like the ruins in Caracalla, the open air theatre in the Acropolis Athens and similar edifices all around the Mediterranean basin.
[Daphne – Theatres were always open air: Roman and Greek.]
I remember walking along South Street corner with Republic Street one balmy summer night whilst Mozart`s Requiem Lacriminosa was being performed in the opera ruins. The ruins were lit up, the music was so beautiful and evocative. Many people seated at the pavement cafes were clearly enjoying this unique and enthralling moment. I thought how wonderful it would be if Valletta could always be like this in the evenings.
It’s “Lacrimosa”. Part of the “Dies Irae” megatune.
Since when have we become either Roman or Greek of ancient times? I can just visualise Sunta from Hal-Qormi sauntering into the newly built Renzo Piano open air theatre in Valletta in her micro-mini skirt and accompanying brood of some four toddlers all crying for ice cream or a Pepsi, either in the extreme heat of summer or in the cold and wet days of winter. Give us all a break, please!
[Daphne – I don’t understand. Is your objection to Sunta in her small skirt or to the fact that the theatre will be open? The two seem unrelated. Romans and Greeks – we share their climate. I think that taking the Valletta theatre back to the origins of theatre is an interesting concept, though I understand that this might be too romantic for some. Theatres first got a roof in northern Europe.]
Assuming Sunta would enter through the door, just like everyone else, how would a roof stop her?
Seriously, though, if it’s the behaviour and dress code of patrons that concerns you, then whether or not there’s a roof over the theatre makes no difference at all.
Whether Sunta attends or not depends on the performance. That is to say on whether Gensna is on. I said Gensna. Now I’ll sit back and watch the thread implode.
Daph, it’s not like you to miss a barb like that.
Sunta of Hal-Qormi is the acronym that I used to depict those lovely Roman or Greek nymphs in their short, white, flowing dresses entering the Coliseum or the Acropolis.
Don’t you think that a parliament building (new construction) in Freedom Square, just inside the gates and adjacent to the theatre will create a congested area of buildings in conflict with each other?
[Daphne- There was never an open space just behind the gates. That’s partly why it looks so awful. And I can’t understand why you trust your own judgement more than Piano’s. I certainly don’t trust mine more than I do his.]
I appreciate that finally the opera house will be used as an open air theatre, which will be a different concept from the Manoel Theatre and the Mediterranean Conference Centre. I am sure that whoever will attend will have to pay a fee. I am sure that it will not be free of charge like Iljieli Sajfin. So I presume that whoever goes is because he is truly interested in the subject, being opera, ballet or a jazz concert, whatever. However, unless a dress code is required, anyone can wear a micro-mini skirt being Sunta or anyone else for that matter.
I do not really get Nigel’s point here. Should we not have Piano’s plan because an element of Maltese society has a penchant for micro-mini skirts? The mind boggles.
Daph, once again you got me all wrong. Yesterday I partly watched Bondi Plus on TVM, with Lou Bondi interviewing Renzo Piano and realised how brown-nosed we Maltese can get when we want to ameliorate some foreign expert who is appointed to advise us.
[Daphne – Oh come on. How can you describe Renzo Piano, one of the great architects of all time, as ‘some foreign expert who is appointed to advise us’?]
Believe me, this is true, as I have gone through various issues in this respect in my own profession. Piano is not the do-all and know-all of all things architectural.
[Daphne – Renzo Piano is not just an architect. He is a living legend. He is a giant brand, if I must put it like that. There are those who fondly believe that a national opera house will elevate Valletta’s status. They are wrong. A Renzo Piano building will do that – whatever it might be. The interesting thing is that in this debate, the ones who parade themselves all over the newspapers as ‘liberals’ and ‘floating voters’ have revealed themselves to be arch-conservatives, banging on about opera houses, tradition, and one-hundred-and-one borghese values, the sort that make my hair stand on end. I’m not saying that’s you – but take a look at the on-line version of the newspapers.]
I’m sure that you have seen the back page of today’s The Timesand must have also read some comments on timesofmalta.com.
[Daphne – Yes, I did. See above. The Labour elves and the socio-economic groups A and B ‘liberals’ are out in force, the first with a political agenda and the second with their Le Petit Trianon thinking. Spare me. Liberals my eye. It’s the right wing that wants to recreate the past. These are just right-wing conservatives who define themselves as liberal because they are in favour of divorce and because a few of them happen to be homosexual and so favour better legal conditions for homosexuals. What do they imagine: that right-wing conservatives elsewhere in Europe are against divorce, or that if they weren’t gay themselves they wouldn’t think like their grandparents about the notion of gay rights? God, how tiresome.]
With the exception of some toffee-nosed individuals, few agree to another monstrosity being built in Valletta. The ruins are bad enough. An impractical open space which will eventually serve as some other dumping-ground is a sheer waste of project money.
[Daphne – I think you’re quite wrong there. And besides, art and architecture have never been a matter for democracy – thank heavens – otherwise our museums would be full of ghastly paintings of Little Lord Fauntleroy in red velvet and large china hallway leopards. Why, do you imagine, did most of the great masters die in poverty? As for architecture by popular vote, all you have to do is drive round Malta to understand just what a terrible idea this is.]
Piano or not, a rethink is essential on this issue. We have not seen the flak flying as yet.
Apart from the politically-motivated, some of those who want to rebuild the old theatre as it was are older people who yearn to recreate the Valletta of their day. I suppose that bringing back the buildings and streetscapes they remember would somehow allow them to relive their youth. Nostalgia is a natural sentiment – even the dismantling of the ghastly Magic Kiosk brought a tinge of sadness in some people – but is very personal and subjective.
Those who have known the old theatre and Kingsgate need to understand that the scenes reproduced in old pre-war postcards do not evoke the same bittersweet memories in others who are too young to remember them as they were.
Nigel – I am struggling to understand the reason for your ‘a priori’ diatribe against Piano’s ideas.
1) Is it because he will presumably be paid deservedly well?
2) Is it because he is not Maltese?
3) Is it because he is Italian?
4) Is it because you are a romantic architectural reactionary?
Piano is not an expert. Using your same unfair label – Piano is the expert.
This unveiling of plans will show whether we have achieved that level of cultural maturity required to objectively evaluate his work and also whether we have the courage to take our country over the threshold of the future.
That is one of the benefits of having an open air theatre: it could bring great music, especially classical, closer to people who cannot but fail to appreciate it. I am thoroughly excited at the whole project and am looking forward to seeing the plans in detail. Hopefully the project will start and will be completed in the stipulated time. No delays please, we have waited for far too many years now and if need be works should also be carried out during the night. The quicker it is ready, the better.
Here’s a NY Times article from almost a century ago. And Woodstock was in the open no?
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D0DEFD71F39E13ABC4D52DFB0668382609EDE
I temporarily passed over the two-page interview in The Times, but thoroughly enjoyed the Lou Bondi interview with Renzo Piano last night.
[Daphne – I did, too. He came across as – and this is going to sound really stupid, I imagine – a good man.]
I look forward to our privilege to enjoy (along with future generations) the realization of his plans for Valletta. His architecture is a reflection of the essence of all that also is art and is intrinsic to all of the arts, as a living space that respects our history and brings life to the present in the medium of the structural use of space (while others may use words, music, or other forms of representation). It would be a monstrosity only if these plans would not be realized. And I do hope all is completed within the four years as stated.
Yes, let us hope that ithe project is completed by the end of this government’s term of office. I also hope that there will be no prominent commemorative plaques attached to the building this time. Has anyone ever seen commemorative plaques when visiting cities abroad?
From an architectural point of view, Renzo Piano’s concept makes complete sense. His is the logical solution.
As far as the opera house site is concerned, Renzo Piano recommends:
1. restore what you have;
2. construct whatever can be constructed using the original pieces removed from the bombed site;
3. make full use of that space.
I suspect that all this is not in line with the architectural brief forwarded to him by government. Previous “design and build” competitions, and proposals always included the demolition of the existing remains, excavation beneath and rebuilding. The idea was always that of making full use of every square millimetre. Whether you opt for building a modern structure, or a replica of the old opera house (that was the debate up to a week ago), in both cases we would have destroyed what the Germans left intact.
Renzo Piano is telling us that he does not agree with demolishing the existing remains. And he, unlike us 440,000 architects, had the balls to tell the government so.
I tend to agree with Piano that the theatre should not be roofed over. One might argue that a transparent glass top is a solution, but on the other that would be probably create an acoustic nightmare within the hall. Truly you are not making full use of the site, but at least you do not destroy those remains.
As for Pjazza Helsien ……. better wait for the “flying” design before uttering comments. Demolition of the shopping arcade is an obvious design recommendation. Even the removal of the housing estate would be another obvious architectural improvement. Understandably, that would create havoc for the residents, shop owners, opposition MPs (and possibly government backbenchers). There’s never a dull moment.
Can’t we at least wait to see the plans before passing judgement?
I don’t want to sound like a wet blanket or anything, but any idea how much of our taxpayer’s money is this going to cost? I mean, we are in a recession now, and we have been waiting for the restoration or whatever of the opera house for 60 years or more.
Yanika – admittedly there is a recession so what do you think we should do – stop all projects etc. and wait until the recession is over? There is always going to be something going on that might induce us to halt all projects, so are we supposed to just not do anything at all? Besides no doubt this project once started is going to create more employment or more work for whoever does not have enough to do. I do not think you are a wet blanket, but do try and be more positive.
[Daphne – There should be more public spending on projects during a recession, not less.]
Yes, more public spending during a recession… that’s very Keynesian, I must add (which is Voodoo economics). The financial crisis was brought about by enormous deficits and huge public debts. More of the same cannot be the solution, of course.
Some politicians and ‘experts’ say that ‘recovery is just round the corner’. Other experts say the crash will only be agonisingly prolonged – just as Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal’ created the Great Depression from a Federal-Reserve induced recession. This is all documented. All you need is the will to research.
So, given that this financial crisis will get much worse before getting any better, the Maltese government might as well do an Obama and try to borrow and spend its way out of it. In other words, if Voodoo economics is the name of the game, we might as well play it well. The other eurozoners are doing it – so what the heck – eff the euro!
[Daphne – Sigh, he’s back. Let’s see, Kev. Would you be the same Kev who wrote this about me on Jacques Zammit’s ‘award-winning’ and self-nominated blog? “It is the reason why the lady is a tramp; her bitchiness and distortions are nothing next to her devious censorship.” Now if that’s what you think about me, why would you want to keep coming back here? Please don’t tell me you’re one of those who likes to be tied up and beaten by ladies in black leather and stilettos.]
Daphne, I have a strange character – I treat people the way they treat others. It comes naturally to me. But it is good to see that you are touchy – it shows you’re human after all; a view you don’t seem to afford to your foes, perceived or otherwise.
[Daphne – I am about as touchy as a JCB or a bulldozer, Kevin, as anyone who knows me will tell you. I thought it would be amusing to quote that back at you just in case you’re one of those odd people who think that what’s said on the internet is somehow done behind somebody’s back rather than in everyone’s face – like silly George Hyzler and his round-robin email which reached me in less than 24 hours.]
As for your profiling, Daphne, you’re wrong – I hate pain immensely, even if it’s of a sexual nature. If I “keep coming back” it does not mean much, except perhaps that I am still intrigued by the fact that you are so pollyannalienated (yes, a new word). Let’s just say you are the perfect case study: I need to know Malta’s level of awakening and you are a good gauge, plagued as you are with unknown knowns. You think your outlook is global – yet it is all immersed within this puddle we call Malta. Perhaps your next visit to Manhattan will open your eyes – perhaps not (have you got American friends? What sort are they? Have they never anything to report?).
[Daphne – Well, as long as you don’t turn into another obsessive stalker. I have quite enough of those already.]
But what really puts me off is your shrewd censorship, especially when I last corrected your history of the post-referendum Labour Party and you simply decided to delete it. That says more about you than your million words.
[Daphne – I don’t remember receiving that comment. Maybe it went, appropriately, straight to spam. Feel free to post it again.]
The idea that there should be less spending because of a recession is perhaps a residue of the Mintoffian theory that running a country is like running a family. It was, after all, Mintoff who closed down the Faculty of Economics; we don’t need economists, he said, because everybody knows how to economise.
1. If I wanted to do it “behind somebody’s back” I would have sought other means, such as using a different handle. Also, in this case I could not do it “in everyone’s face” because the censor would have aborted my effort. Otherwise, you would not see any comments from me anywhere (locally) unless it’s under ‘Kev’ or my full name. Actually, apart from a few comments on The Times and at the Jacuzzi club, I hardly ever comment anywhere locally. I’m not particularly fond of local sites.
[Daphne – Ah, but you’re fond of mine, I see.]
2. And the “obsessive stalker” bit…? Please, Daphne, don’t embarrass me (not to mention self-flattery). I don’t stalk people. I usually try my best to avoid them.
[Daphne – So we have that in common, at least.]
As I said earlier, you are for me a case study. I can spontaneously classify you as ‘critically-minded, level 0’. (Level 1 would at least entail an awareness of the fact that the ‘drugs problem’ is in fact a prohibition problem, and that the wasteful ‘war on drugs’ is in fact a war on society that perpetrates the scourge, yielding great benefits to those who deserve none. We’ve gone through this, but you said you were right because you understand marketing and could not fathom how a banned substance could ever become more available than a regulated, marketed substance. In short, you have failed to grasp the obvious. This level of awareness makes your critical and analytical mind look like that of a sharp-witted Lilliputian who questions the validity of his side’s argument without questioning the egg doctrine itself.)
[Daphne – Let’s see now, Kev. Would there be more people stuck on cigarettes now if they had been banned at the outset, or fewer? Hmmm, tough one.]
3. As to the comment you say never existed, I will give you the benefit of the doubt. If, however, it “went, appropriately, straight to spam” then it would surely be inappropriate to repost it.
Pity, for it was a detailed effort by someone who experienced aspects of the events under reference. But Daphne always knows better, even if her brain matter is set like concrete.
[Daphne – Thanks, Kevin. I’m delighted to serve as your case study. I promise not to disappoint.]
[Daphne – Let’s see now, Kev. Would there be more people stuck on cigarettes now if they had been banned at the outset, or fewer? Hmmm, tough one.]
Tergax tibda, Daphne. I’ve experienced a ‘debate’ with you already. U qed terga tghid ic-cucati.
Tobacco smoking was punishable by death in Moscow in the 17th century, but people kept smoking until the ban was lifted. This is just one example. Tobacco smoking was variously banned across Europe at various times.
[Daphne – Of course people kept smoking despite the ban. People still murder each other despite a much older ban than that. I’m talking about numbers. It’s a safe bet that if cigarettes were as illegal as heroin, granny next door wouldn’t be smoking them, and if you think otherwise, then you have experienced some very interesting grannies.]
So that is an easy question. Had cigarettes been banned “at the outset” there would have been a time when the state would have given up the ban. As has happened before your great, great grandmama was born.
[Daphne – It doesn’t follow. I know of no state that has given up its ban on heroin or cocaine.]
Just keep in mind that humans learn through actual experience much more than through experiencing punishment or the threat thereof.
[Daphne – Absolute and utter bollocks, and any parent who tells their teenage child to try cocaine, heroin or LSD to see what it’s like and to learn from the experience deserves to be hanged, drawn and quartered. If teenagers are going to try hard drugs, then they should be trying them in rebellion against their parents’ wishes, but they should never be in any doubt as to what their parents’ stance is: dead against, even if it’s just the once. As a parent of teenagers yourself, you should know that if heroin and cocaine are legal, your job is going to be a hundred times more difficult than it is already. I’m surprised at you, really. Look how difficult it is to keep them off the cigarettes. Now just imagine the same situation with heroin or cocaine: lovely.]
If you can chew on that and digest it properly you’d be able to start understanding the rudimentaries of what really happens in life, as opposed to the pollyanna world you inhabit.
[Daphne – Kevin, I can assure you that the world I live in is far from being Pollyanna’s, and that my views have been shaped by experience and not the absence of it. Your view that the sale of heroin and cocaine should be legal is insanely irresponsible, and it is the policeman in you talking, not the parent or the commonsense human being.]
1. Heroin use would never have been as high as cigarettes. Every drug has a threshold.
[Daphne – How do you know? Look at the Chinese experience with opium when it was cheap, legal and widely available.]
2. I think you’ll survive to witness the end of the ‘war on drugs’ – don’t be subjective in time.
3. Human experience is not just individual experience – it is something much bigger. There is a collective human experience that in time accumulates and translates into mores, traditons, ethics, awareness. The law is not always the answer. It generally tends to aggravate matters. There are only a few criminal laws that occur naturally and these include crimes on the person (bodily harm, homicide) and property (theft, fraud and misappropriation) – the rest are the result of the Byzantine West’s madness.
[Daphne – No laws occur naturally. It is the instinct towards murder which is natural; the law against it, on the other hand, is not the result of nature but of civilisation. In talking of ‘natural law’ you are not much better than the Gift of Life: something is wrong because I ‘feel’ it is wrong.]
4. Inhabitants of pollyanna worlds are by nature unaware they live in a pollyanna world.
[Daphne – The same can be said, one supposes, of those who live beneath a tinfoil hat.]
5. The fact that you think there is a policeman in me talking is a symptom of what you still don’t grasp.
[Daphne – I mention it because whenever I open a newspaper to find an impassioned plea for the legalisation of hard drugs because the ‘war on drugs’ is failing, it inevitably comes from a senior policeman or a former senior policeman, and strangely never from a teacher, social worker, parent of teenagers, doctor or addict-rehabilitation-clinic worker.]
I’ll stop here. Excuse me if I sound condescending, but I cannot write volumes every time I need to explain a simple notion. Besides, you treat others condescendingly, so there you are. I would have been nicer had you been so.
[Daphne – That’s OK, Kevin. I’m a grown-up, and one who’s almost as big as you are.]
[Daphne – How do you know? Look at the Chinese experience with opium when it was cheap, legal and widely available.]
You of course know, for you were there.
[Daphne – It’s documented, Kevin. You know – history?]
[Daphne – No laws occur naturally. It is the instinct towards murder which is natural; the law against it, on the other hand, is not the result of nature but of civilisation. In talking of ‘natural law’ you are not much better than the Gift of Life: something is wrong because I ‘feel’ it is wrong.]
For want of a better word I may have caused you to miss what I meant. Those are the basic – and all-important – crimes, the rest are either clarifying derivatives, or the result of sheer obsession, tyranny and ignorance developed over time.
[Daphne – What made them basic, Kevin? Civilisation. They weren’t basic before we became civilised, and not even for a long time afterward, when the ban on murder was far from absolute but qualified.]
[Daphne – I mention it because whenever I open a newspaper to find an impassioned plea for the legalisation of hard drugs because the ‘war on drugs’ is failing, it inevitably comes from a senior policeman or a former senior policeman, and strangely never from a teacher, social worker, parent of teenagers, doctor or addict-rehabilitation-clinic worker.]
I think the plumber, rather than the ‘policeman’ or the criminologist, would be the appropriate expert in this case.
(And this is only at level 1… Geezus, no wonder she clutches at tin-foil straws).
[Daphne – If you really think I’m a brainless Pollyanna who isn’t worth arguing with, Kevin, you wouldn’t be arguing with me.]
It’s when I predict your replies that bugs me most.
Good points for level 0. Don’t think there’s been any of your arguments I didn’t understand. So, case closed. I understand your arguments perfectly.
By keeping the theatre roofless he will bring the theatre to the ‘masses’ that choose to listen in. In one fell swoop he has orchestrated a cultural centre for the masses in our capital city. What he is proposing sounds very exciting and will only be let down by the moaners amongst us. He has created an expectation which, judging by his track record, he will deliver on.
With Piano’s proposal we will remain without an opera house in Malta, which is a great shame.
After La Fenice opera house burned, Venetians didn’t sit around and think of interesting new things they could do with the ruins. On the contrary, they rebuilt it as closely as possible to the blueprint, despite the tremendous difficulties involved with building in Venice. Today it is still considered one of Europe’s leading opera houses.
The opera house in Valletta was once considered one of Europe’s leading venues, where the greatest singers of the 20th century incorporated Malta as one of the primary venues for operatic premieres, along with Covent Garden and all the rest. Perhaps this fact is not appreciated, or given any importance, because it belongs to a time several decades ago.
This proposal by Piano will deliver a lovely open-air theatre, but it’ll never enjoy the prestige of an opera house it once had.
My concern is it’ll be considered ‘just another’ open-air venue, of which there are hundreds in Europe; the big difference being that the ones in Greece, Rome etc, were originally open-air theatres that have been preserved, whereas ours will be a ‘former prestigious opera house’ that is converted into an open-air theatre, by democratic choice. Boy, we love our conversions in Malta!
Many will agree, an opera sung in open air is not as compelling as one sung in an amazing opera house, with its amazing acoustics. Sadly, it seems we will never again get to experience this in Malta.
Stephanie Testaferrata
“The opera house in Valletta was once considered one of Europe’s leading venues…”
Where did you hear this? Can you quote sources, please?
Mr Vella, as a start, please read the following:
Extract from the Book: “FAIR ITALY, THE RIVIERA AND MONTE CARLO COMPRISING A TOUR THROUGH NORTH AND SOUTH ITALY AND SICILY WITH A SHORT ACCOUNT OF MALTA” BY W. COPE DEVEREUX, R.N., F.R.G.S. AUTHOR OF “A CRUISE IN THE ‘GORGON’ IN THE SUPPRESSION OF THE SLAVE TRADE” LONDON KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH & CO., 1, PATERNOSTER SQUARE, 1884
“There is, or used to be, a very good little opera-house, where some of the most eminent prima donnas (Spamezi and Pareppa, etc.) made their debût; for the society at Malta is supposed to constitute rather a critical audience; and if an artiste once succeeds in winning its approval, she may go to England without fear and trembling.”
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/23959/23959-h/23959-h.htm
Stephanie Testaferrate
” ..a very good little opera-house…” is hardly one of Europe’s leading venues. Do you think the author would have described La Scala or Covent Garden in this way?
[Daphne – I agree. It’s classic English upper-middle-class condescension of the period. When translated into Maltese as “opera house zghir imma tajjeb hafna” or into Italian as “un piccolo teatro ma molto buono”, the real meaning is lost entirely. English is replete with codes, as in “we must have lunch some time”, which means “please don’t call me, ever.”]
You’re right, the author was a snob, and if you read his work, you’ll find he’s pretty scathing about Malta and the Maltese, and really the only thing he seemed to like was our little opera house, built incidentally by the same architect for Covent Garden.
Like I said, I’m sure Piano will create a work of art with this open-air theatre idea. But why in Valletta? If you go to some of our open-air locations of heritage (Hagar Qim, for example), they will take your breathe away with their beauty, especially at sunset.
I guess I am one of those passe people Daphne mentions somewhere in this blog, who wishes Piano would just rebuild the opera house. And besides, why should anyone want to come to Malta to sit amidst our rubble, when they have the Colosseum an hour away?
I have also asked myself the same thing (why in Valletta?) about a possible traditional opera house. Many of the most famous theatres, such as the Metropolitan, the Sydney Opera House, La Scala and La Fenice are not found in capital cities. Unlike parliament, a theatre can be built anywhere in Malta, not necessarily in Valletta.
[Daphne – That’s the way I feel about it, too. But what’s wanted here is, as I see it, an opera house in the capital city, or more specifically, that same opera house in the capital city, rather than an opera house as such.]
Antoine Vella. “Can you quote sources, please.”
If you are genuinely interested in the repertoire, and in the quality of the singers that graced the opera house, you could not do much better than read “The Royal Malta Opera House – An Historical Sketch” by A. Samut-Tagliaferro, 1966, Progress Press.
[Daphne – Would it be available at the University Library’s Melitensia department?]
The Caracalla and the Acropolis were mentioned but the best open-air operas are held at the Verona arena, so why not Malta?
I just hope that populist politics will not cause this exciting project to founder.
Some people are so shallow. I believe this description can be used for someone who thinks that the average Maltese is Sunta from Hal-Qormi wearing a micro-mini skirt and with four kids. Just a reminder that the President of the Republic is from Hal-Qormi and also the owners of the Tumas Group…so what’s wrong ‘ghax minn Hal-Qormi’ or from any other village?
Dear Daphne, should we not wait until we examine the plans before we discuss this matter further?
[Daphne – Why? I’m not discussing the plans. I’m discussing the concept – and the architect. Besides, I come from the standpoint that Valletta needs a monumental work by Renzo Piano – whatever that work may be – far more than it needs an opera house by anyone else. Of course, there are those who would say that the ideal would be an opera house by Piano, but I beg to differ. For this titchy new democracy to have a parliament house by Renzo Piano is just……thrilling. An opera house by a mega architect is a bit of a cliche, not to say passe. ]
It’s always healthy to discuss concepts at design stage. It helps all of us appreciate better his design and why he opted for that particular solution.
As far as the opera house is concerned, the concept is self explanatory. The plans will not really reveal anything new.
As far as the rest of the design, the “flying” parliament, the approach to Valletta from various levels, (present bus terminus level, the ditch below and the road above) …… I tend to agree with Albert ….. we need the plans to comment further.
If I understood Renzo Piano correctly in his interviews, his design will probably disappoint you. It will not be a monumental building. His concept of the city entrance is basically an experience which helps appreciate better the orthogonal street design of the rest of Valletta. We Maltese tend to forget that Valletta already is an architectural gem. The entrance to Valletta should not be in competition with the rest of Valletta …… but complementary.
Let’s put it this way …… if it’s a monumental building, I would be disappointed and would take back all the positive comments I said earlier on.
[Daphne – Monumental does not mean the same thing as mammoth.]
Then if by monumental you are referring to the significance of an important signature on a design, then yes we are on the same lines.
Liked his plans so far. Watched interview with Lou Bondi – he is full of enthusiasm and he is in his 70s. Amazing! If he were Maltese he would be semi-retired or retired, not discussing eco-architecture.
Gozitan men don’t look their age.
Question from the Maltese abroad. When are the plans being divulged?
[Daphne – On Saturday evening in Republic Street.]
Will they tear down those awful flats above City Gate? And what about the bus terminus and the shanty town that’s grown around it? That includes the bead/henna hawkers.
Never mind the flats. If they close down the hamburger joint in the arcade, Joseph Muscat will declare another national crisis.
[Daphne – Actually, he needs to keep up. I’ve just read in The Observer that Sarkozy is no longer eating hamburgers or listening to Johnny Halliday. Carla Bruni is refining his tastes.]
There is only one thing that really really bothers me in this project. How will the (probably exciting) designs for Parliament and open air theatre sit comfortably next to that horrendous block of flats so disingeneously dumped on our capital by Dom Mintoff? Any thoughts anyone?
[Daphne – The information that has leaked out so far is that the shops beneath that arcade will be removed, so that the cavalier is revealed. When I tried to get some information weeks ago on the shopping centre and government flats, I was given to understand that they would have to stay, because of the havoc and expense of their removal, compensating everyone, negotiating, finding alternative accommodation and the rest. Piano’s original plan back in 1990 included their removal. I think this time a decision was taken to do what is manageable. I would be happy to see the whole horrible thing go. But interestingly, that area above the gate was always an ugly slum (it isn’t a slum now, though hideous), where people lived in squalor in hovels.]
The people living in the Tigne ‘flats’ were removed ‘easily’ enough.
Thanks for the reply. It starts to look a bit like a botched up job to me though – unless Piano really can come up with some (a lot of actually) magic. I certainly hope so. That particular block to me is one of the three major scars of Valletta – the other two being City Gate itself and the humongous Carmelite dome.
On a different wavelenght I cannot for the life of me think why the government (or any other entity for that matter) has never actively encouraged the regeneration of East Street (the bridges area). This lovely bit of Valletta cries out for a couple of jazz bars and the like, especially the terraced bits overlooking the street.
Not jazz bars, please! It cries out for some good unpretentious restaurants. Isn’t “The Bridge” already a sort of jazz bar?
So, to get back to City Gate, no plans for the removal of those apartment blocks. Brilliant. Way to go. First we engage Piano and then we’re held up by social housing niceties?
“an ugly slum . . where people lived in squalor in hovels”
Professor S. Cassar, the most eminent surgeon of his day, lived up there on the right (Sda. Alessandro) with his servants and chauffeur.
[Daphne – So did my grandmother, with her Caruana Dingli grandparents, around 100 years ago. I don’t think we’re talking about the same place. This was an adjacent slum area, long since gone, and she and her sisters were specifically forbidden from walking or playing there because it was considered too dangerous, especially after a woman was found murdered there.]
In the interview, Piano also skimmed over the bus terminus.
Once his plans materialise, would it not make sense to instruct…or “train”…
…Bobbie tat-taxi, Grezzju tal-karozzin u Guzu tal-bus…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1194952/Train-thought-The-railway-station-announcer-treats-passengers-daily-musings.html
…would not Sunta love this?
Haha, at least I got a good laugh out of this.
Sorry, I can’t continue posting at the moment as I have people from abroad for dinner tonight and wifey has been screaming that I have been taking it piano piano for a couple of hours.
Take care all.
I agree with you Albert. I am really not sure where all these Renzo Piano fanboys have sprung from. Some of their comments about Piano are just embarrassing – comparisons to Michelangelo etc. The origins of this cult would be completely puzzling if you didn`t take into consideration the depressing fact that all of the pro-Piano-plans-before-we-have-even-seen-them brigade are diehard Nationalists.
Yes, he is a world famous architect and has been commissioned for many major projects. Some of them have been triumphs while others have become despised by the people who have to live with the results. The Pompidou Centre, which he is only half responsible for I suppose, has to be the ugliest building in Paris. And no, Joseph it is not a question of missing the “nuances” or Piano`s dedication to “function”. You are really bluffing there. Most of the external architecture on the Pompidou Centre serves no function at all. He is trying to make a philosophical point. It is failed architecture, failed art and the people of Paris who live in that area have to live with that ugliness.
However, if you really want to read about the relationship between architects and function then I recommend Architecture Depends (http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=11681)
I wonder how many of these Renzo Piano fanboys would feel about him renovating their houses without seeing the plans? I very seriously doubt there would be many. I have seen and used several of his buildings – some dozens of times – airports, etc. Some work, some don`t. Even if we were to assume that he is a genius (and I am not inclined that way), he is not infallible. There is no real credible reason to believe that the plan he comes up with is the best conception available in the known universe.
[Daphne – Ho hum. People approach the issue depending on who and what they are. Somebody keen on opera (and if it’s the Albert I know then he is) is going to have an ‘opera house’ mindset. I don’t know where you’re coming from. But I know where I’m coming from: marketing and branding. And I can tell you this for certain: that in a toss-up between “the best conception available” by some complete unknown and something that might be a little awkward by Renzo Piano, the wisest choice is always going to be in favour of the latter, because the benefits of having a Renzo Piano project – however controversial – eclipse the benefits of having a ‘perfect’ project with an opera house-cum-arts-centre-cum-parliament-cum-modern-art-museum-cum-wotsit-with-a-roof-on. You hate the Pompidou Centre, but we all know what it is and where it is, and everyone who goes to Paris makes a point of going to see it, if only to say that he hates it. Would I let Renzo Piano renovate my house without seeing the plans? I should be so lucky. Any time, any time.]
Why, why, why do people have to become entrenched in their views, normally along political lines, before they have even seen the plans? I would love to hear a few people on Saturday saying “Well, I was doubtful but now that I have seen the plans I am all for it” or “I was really confident that Piano would come up with something amazing, but to be honest I am a bit disappointed”.
[Daphne – Because our choice of political party depends on our outlook on life. You’ve pinpointed your own answer without realising it: people who are forward-looking, risk-takers, open to change, tend to prefer the Nationalist Party. Hence it’s no surprise they’re also keen on a Renzo Piano project for Valletta. Read my comment earlier in response to somebody else: that the opera house debate has exposed this country’s loudest ‘liberals’ for what they really are: right-wing conservatives and traditionalists who just happen to be gay and so favour gay rights, or who sensibly think that Malta shouldn’t remain the last country on the planet without divorce.]
But that isn`t possible, is it? Being measured and fair and civil and modest in your views is just not part of the national debate. Daphne, I think you have become part of the problem.
[Daphne – Bollocks. I have always been exactly the same, while governments, politicians and prime ministers come and go. Besides, what problem would that be, exactly?]
To all of those that are thinking that the place will be full to the brim with buildings, you did not listen to Piano’s plan; he will demolish that monstrosity opposite Burger King and the first floor of parliament is see-through and therefore one can see St. James Cavalier.
This is the downside of democracy: all the people want to have their say. Why can’t the government bypass all the people and start the project immediately? Sorry for the bad state of my English, but English is my third language.
Because, with all its “downsides” we still love and value democracy.
You obviously come from a different culture. Iran, maybe?
Thanks for info.
Renzo Piano is not the only architect who can “brand” Valletta, yet he is the most logical choice. There are many other architects who can create awesome structures, but few have the ability Renzo Piano has – I’d call it anonymity for lack of a better word.
Many contemporary architects seek individualism in their architectural designs. This many a times clashes with the surrounding context. A trained eye can immediately recognize a Zaha Hadid building, a Calatrava structure or a museum by Frank Gehry but no one can recognize a Piano building if he doesn’t read about it.
Architecture can be segmented into different periods and styles – neo classicism, neo gothic, modernism, post modernism and now the age of individualism. Piano is one of the exceptions to the rule. This is because Piano buildings are designed to suit the surrounding context – a Piano building would look ugly if placed somewhere else.
I loved watching the interview where he stated that any intervention in Valletta must respect the existing density. Richard England once described his own proposal for Valletta as “werqa gdida fuq sigra li ilha hemm”- I trust Piano’s scheme will follow the same ideals.
Nigel have you are seen any of the projects of Zaha Hadid?
Try google and you will see what type of architecture Zaha Hadid designs.
Piano is better than the above mentioned architects.
I might just have an inkling that some people posting here are of the opinion that Renzo Piano is the equivalent of a modern day Michel Angelo. striving for perfection and infallibility.
The world’s top ten architects are listed in the following order:
Zahra Hadid.
Santaigo Calatrava.
Radeo Ando.
Cesar Pelli.
Frank Gehry.
Jacques Herzog & Pierre De Meuron.
Lord Norman Foster.
Renzo Piano.
I.M. Pei.
Robert A.M. Stern.
As I said before Renzo is not the do all and know all of architecture. He’s good, he’s no.8 in the top ten, he’s renowned in certain quarters, but please stop building the man as if he’s the answer to all of Valletta’s chronic ills, or that he’s the world’s one and only architect just because he has submitted a plan for the renovation of the main gate to our capital city with suggestions for the building of a new parliament house, and an open air theatre.
[Daphne – ‘The world’s top 10 architects are listed in the following order’ – who listed them, and on what basis is the ranking made? That aside, I really don’t know what your problem is, or why you sound so jaded. The appropriate response to the prospect of having somebody like Renzo Piano work on a Valletta project is excitement, not apathy, still less resentment. I’m beginning to think that the only thing that’s going to float your boat is having all 10 of them working on Valletta at once, possibly for free, after which they’ll all come to you with their plans and ask you what you think.]
Even if all 10 were involved in the project, people would still complain that we suffer from an inferiority complex because ‘barranin’ were chosen to do a job that Maltese architects could have done.
Nigel, how can you rate architects?
Daphne, you called me jaded, I can assure you that I am neither exhausted nor fagged out, far from it.
As a professional person (I am not telling you what I do) I do not look at any type of project with excitement, apathy or resentment as you suggested in your reply. I simply look at a project from the viewpoint of technical practicality, financial feasibility, sustainability, environmental implications, and the provision of improvement to the lifestyle of people after carrying out a full risk management and assessment of the project being proposed.
[Daphne – Precisely, and that’s exactly where the problem lies. The pure accountant’s/quantity surveyor’s approach cannot be applied in all areas of life and it certainly cannot be applied to exceptional projects like this, which must take into account those qualities which lift the spirit and elevate the soul, going beyond mere practicality. I think you would have enjoyed listening to Renzo Piano’s interview on TVM last Monday night. This is exactly what he spoke about: that function and practicality are not enough on their own, because human beings need much more than that. The need for more than practicality is one of the few things that distinguishes us from other animals.]
To me Renzo is another consultant like so many others, full stop.
[Daphne – You won’t tell me what you do for a living professionally, but if I were to give a wild guess, I would say that it’s something that involves purely technical matters with a complete absence of soul. Am I right?]
In your last sentence, I do not think that you are being either fair or constructive and you know it. In any large project such as this, consultants (no matter who they might be, and they are certainly not Gods), submit their plans which are open for public debate and criticism. If this was not so then we would have anarchy on our hands and I’m positively sure that Renzo Piano is not an anarchist.
[Daphne – Renzo Piano is not ‘a consultant like any other’. He is the creator of a project. Creators are by definition not consultants, because they are the ones creating the whole thing. Put in simpler terms: if you were a woman going to one of the world’s topmost couturiers to have him create for you a fabulous gown, would you call him a consultant, or would you acknowledge that he’s the one creating the whole thing from start to finish? And if you want to have lots of input, why go to the world’s foremost couturier only to tell him what to do (which he wouldn’t accept anyway) when you might as well pay a tiny fraction of his price and go to your local dressmaker.]
Nigel, whoever he is and whatever he does, is suffering from an acute case of a typical Maltese malaise. This demonstrates itself as a vicious knee-jerk reaction that tries to demolish anyone, especially non-Maltese, who is perceived to be on a higher level. Forgive me if I digress, but this tiresome attitude was amply demonstrated a while back in the irrationally negative comments to an interesting news item about a young Maltese physicist working at CERN who was chosen to run a Maltese scientific body. The comments were: “What was he doing at CERN, making tea?” or the usual xenophobic, “Do you have to be abroad to get any recognition in this country?” Sadly most Maltese love to trash what is good, talented or beautiful in more ways than one.
Frank, sorry but I think that we are now digressing into the ridiculous and the absurd. In reply to his out of order contribution, I must assure him that the Maltese physicist that he is referring to is a professional scientist who is doing Malta proud in the same vein as Joseph Calleja is doing in his profession. Both have nothing to do with this debate and both are world-standard professionals. Frank, you are totally out of order.
Frank, you are totally correct when you said that you have to be abroad to get some recognition in this country. Ask both gentlemen about this.
Daphne, I never took you for a romantic or for being so poetic.
[Daphne – I work in a creative profession, not a technical one, so I don’t know where you got that impression. Perhaps you’re one of those people who believe that individuals are either creative or practical and business-like, but they can never be both?]
Renzo Piano is a top architect, one of the top 10 in the world; he’s the 1998 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Out of 40 projects around the world (some outstanding, some not so very much so) his most famous is the Menil Collection which is a museum in Houston, Texas, and which I have been to, etc. I do know a bit about Renzo Piano.
My argument and point is: let’s not take it for granted that whatever Renzo Piano says, suggests, recommend, designs and submits, should be taken as the cure-all for Valletta, just because he, Renzo Piano, has been entrusted to advise the government about this project.
Let’s wait until Saturday, we might be surprised or we might be disappointed. His previous designs years ago were totally flawed. Let’s hope that he was in better form this time, and that we will not get the equivalent of the Pompidou Centre in Maltese lime stone.
There are many conflicting discussions going on about this subject at the moment.
Nigel,
I’m not saying that Piano will solve all of Valletta’s problems. I just said that his interventions are those which mostly respect the surrounding context – and by respecting it I don’t mean copying it.
The manner in which the information about Renzo Piano’s design is being gradually leaked is a marketing exercise – an interesting ploy with a build up to next Saturday’s presentation in Republic Street.
So far, the information available bodes well. The indications are that the intervention proposed by Renzo Piano is a sensitive one in terms of function as well form. From the various interviews, it is evident that the architect in this case is very much cognisant of the importance of the existing monuments surrounding the site. The key word appears to be ‘dignity’.
I suspect that the proposed design is toned down, simple yet aesthatically pleasing, with particular attention to detail. Four days until the project is unveiled.
As Joseph Calleja so rightly said, we have more thah enough open-air venues in Malta. Valletta needs and deserves a proper theatre. This stop-gap measure is ridiculous.
[Daphne – How can you call a Renzo Piano project a stop-gap measure?]
“Valletta needs and deserves a proper theatre.”
We could demolish the Manoel Theatre, then, and rebuild it to a design decided on by a committee of the people and voted on in a referendum from which all architects – especially foreigners – are excluded on the basis of belonging to the wrong profession, along with all politicians, because they’ll already have had their say in ‘their’ parliament, and all those who think Renzo Piano is a good idea because they have an inferiority complex, and all those who live in Valletta because they have a vested interest, and all those who go to the theatre because they are biased. And afterwards we should throw a party to celebrate, whatever the result. And then the fairies will pick up the bill.
I am beginning to believe that some people just love to thrash things for the sake of it, and because it’s proposed by the present government. I think it’s better to ask a one-eyed goblin hunchback who is used to designing fake toadstools for fairies next time we want to design something. Maybe that would please most people.
And Marie B. will proudly display the photos in her diary …
It is a stop-gap solution. A glorified heap of stones which served as a car park and is being upgraded to an open air theatre without shelter from the elements.
[Daphne – I once had the dubious pleasure of visiting the remains of Carthage in the company of some Maltese people. I overheard one man muttering to his friends: “X’iz-zummara gabuna hawn naghmlu biex naraw qabda gebel mfarrak?” I suppose you think pretty much along the same lines. Why exactly do you appreciate Hagar Qim – that is, if you do so? Isn’t that just a bunch of stones?]
I cannot imagine Marchesa Gauci Maistre Zappaterra with her fur coat and tiara going for the opening of the theatre season and sitting on some plastic chair on a chilly night.
[Daphne – Nobody wears a fur coat and tiara to the opening of the season anymore. This isn’t going to be a national theatre – that’s the Manoel Theatre. It’s going to be a theatre: the sort you can go to in your jeans and a T-shirt, just as happens everywhere else that I can think of unless it happens to be a black-tie event.]
In its hey-day if at the Royal Opera House of Malta an opera hit the box office and was well received by the critics, the opera would have been performed at the San Carlo, Teatro alla Scala and the other theatres in Italy.
[Daphne – You cannot be serious. And in any case, this is no argument for a grand opera house in Valletta in 2009.]
Worth noting: it was run by an impresario; nowadays we would call it public-private partnership.
[Daphne – Everything was run by the private sector against payment of fees in those days, John, including medical care. You’re talking about a time when there were no pensions or social benefits, so why would the state have run a free theatre?]
Daphne, while the open air theatre within the ruins appears to be a good concept, I can’t follow your argument of comparing Hagar Qim, the remains at Carthage with the theatre ruins. Maybe they will be reveered in the same manner if they are all still standing up in 2000 years. But presently they do not share the same value from an archeological point of view.
[Daphne – A bunch of stones is a bunch of stones. It is not the stones themselves which matter, but their significance. I don’t think it is correct to say that the theatre ruins are just a bunch of stones.]
Your point elucidating the ‘stupidity’ of the man who happened to be in your presence is very well explained, though.
“You cannot be serious” I am dead serious. The best and promising performers used to perform there.
[Daphne – Really? Fascinating. Well, I hate to inform you that we’re no longer a British naval and military base, so no one is going to come out here to amuse the troops any more. And if you think that the seating capacity of a theatre on that site can cover even the fees, let alone the ancillary expenses of the performance, of ‘the best performers’, then you had better consult with NnG Promotions, who bring the big names over and work their guts out to sell the many thousands of tickets – for a one-night performance – that it takes to cover the cost and make a bit of profit. Too many people in this country have no business brain. I just cannot believe that there are people who think that ‘the best performers’ are going to come out to Malta to sing for a week’s run of performances in a theatre with just a few hundred seats, and that the thing is somehow going to be financially viable.]
Hold your horses, I never wrote that I want another opera house. All I’m saying is that Piano’s solution is a wise ‘Maltese’ solution. Surely his first solution was his genuine solution. I believe that the Manoel, Astra, and Aurora theatres and the Mediterranean Conference Centre are enough for the ladies in fur coats (and no tiaras), while Ta’ Qali, San Anton and the Argotti Gardens serve us poor plebeians in jeans and tee-shirts.
A roof, whether temporary or permanent, is a must. If and when I want to attend these venues, I want to pay in full and don’t want Sunta il-Qormija to pay for my entertainment with her taxes. I hope that subsidies will stop once and for all. We will be turning our principles inside out if we start subsidising the theatre for the few when the trend is to stop subsidising water and electricity used by everyone.
[Daphne – That’s the spirit. At least we are in agreement there.]
“X’iz-zummara gabuna hawn naghmlu biex naraw qabda gebel mfarrak?”
Around 24 years ago we went to watch “Il-Fidwa tal-Bdiewa” at San Anton Gardens. Halfway through the performance a Slimiza was heard saying “gejna biex naraw qabda Smurfs jibku”.
[Daphne – As a Slimiza, I have to ask you: what’s Il-Fidwa tal-Bdiewa? It sounds like an agrarian version of Gensa, but then it would have been 1985. I think the comment was quite funny, but I might find it funnier still if you were to explain the context.]
When the Mnajdra and Hagar Qim temples were being damaged by nearby quarrying with dynamite the then AFM commander Cachia said “da l-ghageb kollu fuq dan il-borg gebel?”
We used to take our kids for picnics to Mnajdra temples; the place used to be full of kids running around. Once while I was explaining to one of my sons about the corbel roof which is evident on the right-hand apse, I corrected a boy who was throwing stones from the top of the apse. His father shouted: “Hallieh! Mela hawn tieghek”.
[Daphne – Kieku Marlene Mizzi tghidlek “Jaqew hallietilek in-nanna?”]
If one observes closely one can see tourists who show that they are bored stiff on archeological sites.
[Daphne – Obviously. I don’t know why people who aren’t interested in archaeology visit archaeological sites. Do they imagine there’s going to be something visually stimulating there?]
Il-Fidwa tal-Bdiewa is a story based on the payment the Maltese made to the King of Spain to get rid of the feudal lord Monroy.
If I recall correctly it was written by Ninu Cremona. It was a good production. And it didn’t have anything to do with Gensna.
An open-air “theatre” built around wartime ruins can only be considered as a stop-gap measure. As someone in The Times rightly said, Piano is probably trying to leave the site as untouched as possible, hoping that the right political decisions are taken in the future.
[Daphne – I don’t know what sort of open-air theatre you have in mind, but I don’t imagine that it’s going to be a temporary or stop-gap structure. Is the Colosseum in Rome a temporary or stop-gap structure, just because it happens to be open? Thousands of years later, it’s still being used.]
True – but Rome has the Colosseum in addition to a host of other theatres, not instead of.
[Daphne – Sorry, I don’t follow your drift. Whether there are other theatres or not is irrelevant. The point is that the absence of a roof does not make for a stop-gap solution, as the Colosseum shows.]
@Daphne : if you are comparing the Colosseum with the ruins of the opera house then you better go and have a nice holiday, you need a rest.
[Daphne – I have just returned from holiday, though I must say that the minute I hear the ‘Sinjuri’ announcement on the return flight I want tounhook my seat-belt and fight my way off the plane again. My use of language tends to be very specific: I’m a bore in that way. So it’s clear that I am not comparing the Colosseum with the Valletta opera house ruins, but observing that the lack of a roof does not make for a stop-gap solution, as we can see from the Colosseum which, despite never having had a roof – except perhaps a temporary one made of canvas by naval sailmakers – is still standing, still admired, and still in use.]
I don’t know why we Maltese fail to realise that owning any architectural piece designed by Renzo Piano is an invaluable asset. We should feel honoured that he has agreed to design this when there are so many countries that would love to have a Renzo Piano creation. In a few years’ time (or even immediately) people will want to visit Malta specifically to see Renzo Piano’s creation.
Tghidlix li kont fuq il-vapur ta’ Whoopi Goldberg!
Ridt nghid Oprah Winfrey. Taf li gejja Malta?
http://www.pricy-spicy.com/world-celebrity-news-gorgeous-oprah-winfrey-55th-birthday-celebrating/
[Daphne – Hawwadthom ghaliex it-tnejn li huma nisa suwed Amerikani?]
Nigel, what you said is blasphemy: “To me Renzo is another consultant like so many others, full stop.” Really, you have just shown that you are an imbecile, full stop.
Mario Carta, my first reply to your post has not been published by Daphne.
[Daphne – That’s because it was extremely rude and made no particular point, as I recall.]
I do not think that you have read my further post above, possibly because as you said yourself English is your third language and maybe it is possible that you cannot take part in a debate intelligently but rather delve into the pits of shallowness by throwing personal insults.
Daph, I hope that you will give me the right of reply in this case.
[Daphne – The legal right to reply does not apply to anonymous people. Though you appear to believe you have an identity, you don’t and can’t – not as long as you are using a pseudonym. But in any case, here you go: I’ve removed the gratuitous and pointless insults, though.]
Daphne, you did not remove his insults. Can you tell me why?
[Daphne – There are insults and insults.]
Oh thank you. You just made my day.
I just repeated what he said in his post.
@ Corinne Vella. Good one. You capture the attitude and thinking of those in favour of a “proper theatre”. Only they, the “people”, have the right to decide what’s best ….. the opinon of the rest of us, the “non-people”, is ridiculous.
“I value democracy far more than I do the performance arts”
As if a parliament building has anything to do with a political system, when in these kind of buildings we have seen tyrants, liars, propogandists, incompetents, bureaucrats, charlatans, criminals and all sort of people who profited and used their position of power as they see fit, behind the curtains, at the expense of the sheep of course, all over the world, all throughout history, Malta and modern times not excluded.
The modern parliament building according to the plans of Piano, is totally out of context with Valletta practically in every sense of the word, especially aesthetically. In terms of value, such a building in today’s world is practically worthless. Just another modern building among the millions all over the world, nothing unique, nothing special. There starts the downfall.
It is incredibly arrogant of Renzo Piano to say that rebuilding would be “fake”. Hundreds of major buildings that are cherished by millions have been rebuilt since WWII. Are they all fakes that shouldn’t have been rebuilt? But then arrogance is the stock in trade of the “superstar” architect.
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