Four visits. Eleven thousand photos. One snapshot… or rather, a cross-section of Maltese identity, viewed through the lens of a British artist, who chose to portray the islands exclusively through its shopfronts.

Words by Lisa Gwen

When Barnaby Barford first visited Malta in 2019, he quickly fell in love with the environment, and particularly, with the shops, “which seemed like they belonged to a different time”. A purely research-based visit, it translated into a sculptural installation featuring some 1,000 handmade fine bone china tiles, each representing one of the shops he encountered, and rising above a makeshift rubble wall, creating a portrait of contemporary life on the islands.

The miniature buildings, each a unique work of art in itself, have been assembled by the artist to form a Maltese street, framed by two rubble walls that are so typical of the island’s landscape. Having already worked on a similar commission for the London Design Festival in 2015, titled The Tower of Babel, and exhibited at the V&A Museum, the Maltese landscape provided Barford with plenty of fodder for this new project. Playfully titled Topia, It is showing at MUŻA, the National Community Art Museum, until 19th January. Barford’s first visit to the islands was limited to three days, in which he covered as much ground as possible through visual documentation: “I like to make work about a place and community; when I first started speaking to Heritage Malta about this project, I decided I had to visit every town and village. “I wanted to present a socio-cultural portrait of the country though its shops – whether old or new; closed, owned by locals, or migrants… I especially fell in love with the decay… Some places look like they are on the brink of collapse – a tension I found really beautiful.” Soon after that introductory exploratory visit, the world was hit by the pandemic, which meant that everything had to come to a halt. In fact, for the longest time, Barford thought the project would not see the light of day. Fast forward three years, and the conversation with the national agency for museums and cultural heritage was reignited.

When he visited the island “properly” in May 2023 for two weeks, he had already advised Heritage Malta that he would bring his bicycle. “I did a lot of the urban areas by bike and I did a lot of walking too. It’s the best way. By walking or cycling, you can stop and look… plus, there’s something about the journey that makes it important. “I planned routes around the whole island. I would wake up early every morning, grab a coffee and then I would set out for the whole day, photographing. I was looking for one thing; one element within the land and streetscape. I was not concerned with anything else. This allows you to become really good at spotting things. There are some lovely spots – and what you realise when you’re cycling is that these towns and  villages don’t exist in isolation. It’s all connected. After this project, I really feel like I know the islands.”

Barford only brought his bicycle on that first occasion, when most of his documentation was made. But he loved walking across the islands on subsequent visits too: “What you find is that you are immersed in the environment; you can cover big distances each day, and soak in the scents, sights and sounds. I often criss-crossed through the countryside and that’s where I fell in love with the rubble walls that informed the final installation.” The artist describes how he felt part of the landscape during his visits. With a project like this, it was paramount to immerse himself in his surroundings and community. “One thing that really struck me was going from urban to suburban, to countryside to coast – everything is five minutes away. Drastic changes in scenography in very short distances,” he points out. Commenting on the architecture and urban townscape, Barford explains how Malta becomes more beautiful as well as more interesting when explored and experienced up close. Almost lost in thought and recollection, he lists some of his discoveries, including alleyways, the flaking paint on façades, or even the historical wall carvings. “The juxtaposition of it all is fascinating.” Going into some detail to explain the allure of shopfronts, the artist says that when he did The Tower of Babel in London, it was at a time when shopping was considered a great pastime of choice. “It started as a real critique of the poor/rich divide, but it turned into a celebration of the shopkeepers, of the businesses, small and large. Topia offers a fresh perspective on Malta and Gozo during a time of rapid change, encouraging reflection and conversation on the evolving socio-cultural fabric of the islands. “When you take a snapshot, as I have, of all these shops together, they tell a story – they talk about demographic, wealth, needs, fashions and trends, architecture and design, planning and tourism,” Barford says. “The beauty of working with this subject is that shops are non-confrontational. The subject triggers nostalgia. With this project, I presented a mirror of Malta – and it is a catalyst and conduit to conversation. And my question is: How do you feel about it?”

Visitors have the opportunity to purchase online the unique signed works that feature in the installation, with proceeds supporting Heritage Malta’s community and contemporary art projects. The exhibition also features recorded interviews with shop owners, offering visitors an intimate connection with the faces behind the façades of these beloved local establishments.