Critical reflective writing of the Group work;
In my group we are five; Bernard Callus, Gino Ellul, Liam Borg, Keith Demanuele and myself Martha Debono. Each and one of us had his own role to find his individual information that was needed for the group work. Everyone had to find his own information and visited places that were needed to be found according to their source of interest.
Everyone in the group has put his own effort to look around and discover what is left as post modernism style in Malta. To start off with our own research, firstly what Gino and I considered best to do, is to ask Omar Caruana, who we thought that he could give us a good understanding and knowledge about what we could find as postmodernism buildings in Malta. When we asked him in person he gave us a good tip to start our own research by looking at Richard England's architecture that he designed in Malta and has also mentioned a proficient study dissertation that we could find at the University library made by Godwin Vella.
As considered I started researching from books to see what I could find about the design of Malta's Post Modernism Architecture and the following day as a whole group, agreed to go around and have a look at the architecture of the University of Malta, the Mater Dei Government Hospital, from its exterior and its interior, since they had such strong concept elements of the post modernism design. As we were there, we discussed and pointed out the obvious forms, colours, repetitions, combinations, materials, techniques and influences on how these might have evolved in time.
Then the following day Gino and I planned to go and visit the architecture found Valletta, such as the the St. James Cavalier and the Central Bank, we also visited the chapel of Dun Gorg Preca that is found in Blata l-Bajda, also visited Pembroke since we were looking for the Chapel of St.Andrews but then after asking an old man that was sat on a bench with his dog and I was notified that the post modern chapel of St.Andrews was demolished. More places that we have visited are the La Vallette Resort hotel where we couldn't enter since it was closed under refurbishment, visited the Millenium chapel that is found in St. Juliens and last the Krea, that is located in Hal Qormi.
Keith visited Dar il-Hanin San Maritan in Santa Venera, meanwhile Bernard looked in shops such as; Casa Nova, The Atrium, Contemporary Design Homes to find products, it wasn't an easy task regarding to find products because the designs found were more artistic rather than following any function. Liam has gone around Naxxar and Mosta area to look for any relevant information that links to our design style.
In the group, I was the one who took in charge of the plan and organisation, made sure to keep in contact and see that everyone is collaborating with the information found and to make sure that no one would miss lead. As a group work we have discussed about the information that we have found individually in terms of the taken pictures, style, such as; the architecture of its interior and exterior, products, their influences and cultural aspects and at the end Liam has took interest on taking the role to gather all the information and put it on the PowerPoint, when meanwhile within the group, we were discussing who would take his part and what would be discussed in the presentation to collaborate well in terms of the subject of the Post Modernism.
As a disadvantage I should say that we didn't have much of time to look more for a stronger and more effective information and something else that I have notified when asking sales persons that are selling such valuable products from shops, the moment we asked about what we were looking for about the style, they did not have a clue of what it was.
On the whole I should say that everyone in the group has giving his own participation and collaboration, as it should be done.
Documentation of my observation study;
Through my research, visiting different places to look for the Post Modernism style has not been that easy yet not so hard, since to what I could notice is that many places such as churches or chapels, houses, shops, hotels and more, are being renovated or have been demolished.
This is a picture of the back entrance of the Mater Dei Government Hospital which has been designed by Richard England.
Lots of England's designed buildings show same forms, yet using different structure. Looking at the back of the building one could notice lots of small blocks installed with glass, triangular large window and and round shaped windows and rectangular block shapes. Since the building has geometrical forms, it also has a sense of symmetry, what on one side there's the same on the other side. The colours used for the glass is green and some walls all painted in pink. This reflects the style of the post modernism, since the style has lots of combined and influences designs, I could picture and remember from where the shapes could have been stemmed from.
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| Back View of Materi Dei Government Hospital, tal-Qroqq Imsida, Malta |
Looking at another side of the Mater Dei building, I could see cylindrical shapes, one coloured in pink and the other in blue. These remind me of the colours that the artistic movement of De stijl were used. Then the blocks remind of the building blocks that Le Corbusier designed, back in the early 1950's.
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| Back View of Mater Dei Government Hospital, tal-Qroqq Imsida, Malta |
This is the Central Bank in Valletta, also designed by Richard England. I could see a block with a round window and the cylindrical shape beside it. Itself it represents long rectangular windows with crossed black metal steel, which I have seen the same inside the chapel of Dun Gorg Preca, located in Blata l-Bajda. Again the colours used remind me of the style of De Stijl, since they used to include the black and white colours, and in the picture below on could see same use of characteristics.
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| Central Bank in Valletta, Malta |
This is another one of Richard England's Architecture that exposes such strong elements of the post modernism style. This chapel is not more existing, since it has been demolished.
As I have been at the place where this chapel was built, I talked to a men that was from the same location and asked if he maybe remembers the chapel before they rebuilt a new exterior Parish church and opened up his suggestions about the style of how it was, he said that he found it very unlikely and that the primary colours applied on basic shapes was very unpleasant to the eye of the people.
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| St. Andrews Chapel, Pembroke, 1988 |
This is the interior chapel of Dun Gorg Preca in Blata l-Bajda, its where one could see the arcs and use of the same colours that are applied on other post modern architecture in Malta. The grid at the back represents the style of the post modernism, the squarish shapes that are used frequently as windows.
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| Dun Gorg Preca Chapel in Blata l-Bajda, Malta |
This is another building located in Bugibba, the Empire Cinema. I could notice the triangle at the top and the long arc in the middle of the building, the relation of the large arced windows on both sides remind me of the building blocks that Le Corbusier designed in the early 1950's.
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| Empire Cinema Building in Bugibba, Malta |
This is the Krea block building, it's where I spotted the top triangle on the building with the circle in the center. The way it constructed is taken from something classical combined with modern. The vibrant magenta has its own unique way to attract the eye of the viewer.
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| Krea Malta, Qormi Architecture |
Boat shoes design, that has been stemmed from the mainstream cutting thread rubber shoes that were made for sailors, fishermen and all of those who work on seas, that it also needed to have a good grip on slippery surfaces, these began to be mainstreamed at the times of the 1980's and still being in fashion nowadays.
It seems that there's a re-birth of strong colours, style and the shoe itself. I combine the applied colours; black, white and red with the style of De Stijl's, since there are lots of simplified visual compositions.
indhouse -Maltese TV Program, Advertisemt/ Sponsorship of Ara shoes, King Shoe Shop, Malta 2016
''Post Modernity conceives of it in terms of consumption'' Oatley, 2011
The picture below is representing one good example of mixture between punk and elegance. The leather jacket was stemmed from motorcycle style that before used to have its unique style and still is very attractive and worn at this era.
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#1. Mcast Art and Design Fashion Show, Revolution 2013
Keeping in mind, the post modernism has a blend of cultures and results with a hybrid form.
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| Alexander McQueen |
What was in the inside became on the outside:
This dress has the bottom skirt design made out of metal strips and shaped in a squarish design as well, since most of the architecture visits I have seen included the square shapes, they were reminding me as an interpretation of the style of Le Corbusier buildings blocks.
To break down the context and show how the style of the post modernism is still on going and as designers we are still linking historical styles combined to the current styles.
| #3. Mcast Art and Design Fashion Show, Revolution 2013 |
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| ''Savoy,'' Memphis 1983 HPL Print laminate, wood and glass |
| #4. Mcast Art and Design Fashion Show, Revolution 2013 |
References:
W. Fred Van Raij, 2016. Post modern consumption: architecture, art and consumer behavior [online] Available at: <https://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=11634> [Accessed 16 May 2016]
author anonymous, n.d. Pembroke. [online] Available at: <http://www.malta-canada.com/churches-chapels/Pembroke.htm> [Accessed 16 May 2016]
Charlton.R, 2014. The story behind the popular boat shoes.[blog] Available at: <http://www.mainlinemenswear.co.uk/blog/2014/the-story-behind-the-popular-boat-shoe> [Accessed 16 May 2016]
MediacastMT, 2013. Mcast art and design -End of year Exhibition -Revolution 2013 [video] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnMWfUEnDJ0> [Accessed 16 May 2016]
Oatley.A ,2011. Post Modernism and Fashion. [online] Available at: <https://www.notjustalabel.com/editorial/postmodernism-and-fashion> [Accessed 16 May 2016]
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