DramaLore of the SeaMaritime Museum
Living on an island has given the Maltese an indelible link to the sea and a rich maritime heritage which began with the arrival of the first prehistoric inhabitants and rose to its height under the Order of St John and later as an integral part of the British Empire, we helped Blighty rule the waves. the Rubberbodies Collective – a multi-disciplinary artist collective has collaborated with the Malta Maritime Museum on a project aptly entitled Lore of the Sea – a devised performance based on the artefacts at the museum. which prompts the quotation by Liam Gauci – the museum’s energetic and highly dedicated young curator: “For the first time, the artefacts housed in the national collection have inspired an artistic performance, thus transforming this fantastic collection of memories. Through the performance, artefacts and stories are brought to life, enabling one to learn and appreciate Malta’s immemorial sea!”
The scope of the Rubberbodies Collective is broad and its interpretation and creativity was equally broad. It was in fact, a continuation of their White Sea performance at St James Cavalier, earlier this summer. Lore of the Sea was preceded by a short tour given by Mr Gauci himself, of the incredibly interesting collection at the museum – which is a vast edifice in itself – once the Forces’ Bakery, still under refurbishment and reconstruction as large areas are suffered massive war-damage. the converted spaces are lovingly managed with funding from Heritage Malta and the highly entertaining tour focused on maritime social history of the “Did you know…?” fun-fact variety and not of the boring dates and battles which deter students from this fascinating subject. this was history as it should be taught – a memory of once-living, thriving communities whose culture and habits we have inherited and made our own. the tour focused on those artefacts which inspired the collective’s performance – from boats, rigging and diaries, to dice, gambling and a dolls’ house – set to original music composed specifically for the event by Mario Sammut, with props and costumes by Matthew Pandolfino under the direction of Jimmy Grima.
Mr Pandolfino’s basic costumes were crucial to the idea of a flexible rubber body – baggy, elastic and flesh-coloured; they were the perfect medium to use in a quasi-sculptural manner to create a versatile combination of accessorised costumes and shapes.
The two moustachioed performers – Rebecca Camilleri and Ira Melkonyan portrayed two Maltese sailors (Mr Grima’s tour had previously enlightened us to the fact that only Maltese sailors were allowed to grow a moustache), who were smartly corseted (yes male sailors wore corsets for the sake of smart uniforms) and toiled at the mercy of the foreboding figure of Captain White (a mannequin in a naval uniform, painted a stark-white). Relying solely on the prepared soundtrack and on a mixture of mime and interpretive dance with a dash of tableaux-acting thrown in for good measure, the two performers managed to convey a flow of sensations and experiences related to the items surrounding the performance space – sometimes using the artefacts themselves as part of the performance. this was truly hands-on theatre and interactive history beyond the confines of warning signs and velvet ropes. the collective managed to weave a strong narrative thread by combining vastly different objects into one outpouring feeling of a life unravelling in constant motion. At a point corsets gave way to hoop-skirts and the sailors transformed into tow giggling young ladies, still sporting moustaches, before becoming startlingly aware of their drag and snapping out of it. this androgynous feeling goes beyond cultural and societal definitions of “standard” sexuality, if you will, and moves more towards the development of a humanistic thread unshackled by labels.
I particularly enjoyed the final scene where the two sailors first swim and then attempt to launch a boat, struggling as they do, against the hungry, foaming sea – physically translated into a visible aesthetic by means of a large roll with strips of paper which cascaded down into the performance space and which the two sailors lost themselves in – struggling against the waves and the choppy heads, and merging into animals (through the use of masks) into a fluid, visual performance. Completely textless but highly scripted, with the highly creative and effective lighting that was crucial to its success, the performance piece was a pleasure to watch because it hybridised several forms of artistic output in a very effective manner. Added to this was the beauty of the Vittoriosa Waterfront as a stunning backdrop to the post-performance drinks on the terrace of the Maritime Museum, making it a truly alternative and highly enjoyable night.
