My essentials: Sean Briffa’s cultural picks

About

As far as I can remember I've always been drawing and doodling. Then I fell in love with theatre and delved a bit in all its aspects, from writing and backstage work, to performing and directing. Whether it’s finishing a painting, building a puppet, or performing in front of an audience, my main passion is storytelling.

Book

Last year I read the graphic novel version of Sapiens with my daughter. I found it was a great tool to explore learning about our species as just another species in ecological terms. It challenges the outdated notion of a superior species; one that is above the rest of nature, which sadly is still too prevalent. As a book I found it balanced, giving information while keeping the humour throughout, especially with the very stylised illustrations.

Film

As a big fan of sci-fi I had certain expectations when I went to watch Project Hail Mary. I was so pleasantly surprised that apart from telling an epic story spanning galaxies, the film was loaded with heart, creating such a sweet and believable relationship between the astronaut and his new alien friend. It kept the audience super emotionally involved. I think having the alien played by a puppet instead of CGI helped create a credible dynamic between it and the real actor.

Internet and TV

Recently I got hooked on American late-night shows. What’s happening in America is extremely worrying because of the global ramifications, but also indicative of which way global policies are shifting. What makes these heavy topics more digestible to someone like me is the humorous approach, which gave me a new appreciation on the importance of satire in relation to political discourse.

Music

A few years back I started listening to bluegrass music. Its use of acoustic only instruments, downbeat vocals and gloomy, yet sometimes tongue-in-cheek lyrics, struck a chord with me. It creates a raw, lonesome lament that mirrored my internal journey as I started new phases in my life. Extensively playing Red Dead Redemption 2 might have also played a part in this connection.

Place

I find it difficult to choose a particular spot. When thinking about this I kept getting flashes of different places where I could get lost in exploring nature, away from anything man-made. Apart from loving nature and anything living, I think these moments where I could be away from society are a reaction to living in a very overcrowded, overdeveloped, often claustrophobic, urban environment. Most recently, snorkelling at Xrobb l-Għaġin gave me that escape.