[WATCH] From music to fresco painting: hands-on workshop for students at Layers

The contemporary composite of sonic and visual elements, Layers, will be opening its doors for one final piece after six sold-out multidisciplinary performances and tours within St Agatha’s Catacombs in Rabat.

The event will be held on Saturday 12 November, with composer Mariella Cassar-Cordina, artist Victor Agius, author Immanuel Mifsud and curator Vince Briffa conducting one final guided tour and a hands-on workshop before revealing the official catalogue to mark the end of the critically-acclaimed exhibition.

The performance is given by the Schola Cantorum Jubilate male choir under the direction of Marouska Attard PHOTO: Therese Debono

“The hands-on workshop, which will take place between 9.30 and 11am, will be an exercise in listening, appraising and composing music, as well as in fresco painting,” Ars Vitae Ensemble directors Cassar-Cordina and Agius explained. “This will be open to students aged between nine and 13 years old and is aimed to increase their awareness of art both old and new.”

The multidisciplinary exhibition took Cassar-Cordina and Agius two years of research and work to put together, and incorporates numerous elements ranging from contemporary art to music.

The six performances included a multi-layered recital of Mariella Cassar-Cordina’s score with words written by Immanuel Mifsud. Performed by the Schola Cantorum Jubilate male choir under the direction of Marouska Attard, the performance also included the input of Renzo Spiteri and Alistair Attard, with each element creating a new layer to the music. This was followed by a guided tour around the catacombs, where Victor Agius’s specially-created pieces played on intertextuality and combined the history of the catacombs with our modern understanding of the world, culture, religion and politics.

Victor Agius’s specially-created pieces played on intertextuality and combined the history of the catacombs with our modern understanding of the world, culture, religion and politics PHOTO: Daniel Cilia

“The project was designed to be responsive, roving, innovative and groundbreaking, placing the emphasis on the process itself and the close interaction of the audience during the performance,” Cassar-Cordina and Agius said.

Following the workshop, the team behind the exhibition will give one final guided tour of the exhibition that will culminate in a talk by the artists and the launch of the official Layers catalogue, which features photography by Daniel Cilia and Therese Debono.

All audience members who have attended one of the six Layers performances, as well as those present on the day, will receive a free copy of the catalogue.

Following the workshop, the team behind the exhibition will give one final guided tour of the exhibition PHOTO: Daniel Cilia

Tickets to the hands-on workshop are priced at just €5, which cover the material used, while the guided tour is completely free of charge. Places are extremely limited to both events, making booking essential.

Bookings to Saturday’s workshop and guided tour can be made at http://arsvitae-ensemble.com, by e-mail on [email protected], or by calling on 9944 2196 until 11 November.