The Arts are at the Heart of all we do

Back in 2022, our founder and director Sarah-Lee Zammit co-chaired an exclusive gala fundraiser in aid of the Conservation of Matteo Perez d’Aleccio’s Great Siege mural. The event, organised by the University of Malta’s Research, Innovation, & Development Trust, was a magical union of art and music, set within the magnificent halls of the Grandmaster’s Palace in Valletta. NoċeMuskata is proud to serve the artistic community and help support Malta’s artistic and cultural heritage.

Read more about the event in Ateş Orga’s splendid piece 

NoċeMuskata is proud to have been entrusted with branding and managing the digital marketing , public relations, and communication of Malta’s first ever art biennale.

Daily Television Programmes

Noċemuskata was entrusted to produce 30 short 2-minute features which aired on Malta’s national TV station. The features introduced some of the contemporary art, the rich historical settings, and the creative minds behind the artworks of the maltabiennale.art 2024. Each feature was designed in a way to engage viewers with compelling visuals and informative content, encouraging both participation in the maltabiennale.art and a deeper appreciation for the arts.

L-Arti Tan-Nies Programme

In addition to the daily TV programmes, Noċemuskata also had the privilege of producing a total of 6 20-minute programmes which aired on Malta’s national TV station. These 20-minute programmes delved deeper into the concept of contemporary art and how it relates to various aspects surrounding us. Each programme included guest speakers whom elaborated on the theme of each respective programme, whilst sharing personal views on the subject.

• Programme 1: Interview with Mr Mario Cutajar
• Programme 2: Art as a reflection on Mental Well Being 
• Programme 3: Migration and Colonial Legacies in Contemporary Art
• Programme 4: Art as a Vehicle for Social Change
• Programme 5: Cultural Identity and Diaspora in Contemporary Art
• Programme 6: The Role of Women in Contemporary Art 

Social Media Marketing

Noċemuskata proudly managed maltabiennale.art 2024’s social media marketing throughout its course. The process involved the creation of social media marketing strategies, managing the social media platforms and creating captivating ,eye-catching & informative content, whilst liasing with brand guidelines to ensure that the respective audience was attracted towards and engaged with the social media pages. The social media platforms served as a basis and point of reference to the audience, wherein all  information regarding the biennale and it’s components was put forth.

An Exploration of the Arts in Our Lives

Directing a unique audio-visual work focusing on MUŻA’s four different themes: Mediterranean; Europe; Empire; the Artist. For each theme, an influential person is being chosen to discuss with them an artwork within MUŻA, and the way it impacts them and relates to their day to day life. This documentary thus seeks to bridge the gap between the arts and everyday life, and will be aired later on this year.

Funded by KulturaTV, which supports the development of high-quality cultural and creative content, and encourages independent audiovisual companies to produce quality-driven television content, this documentary is being produced under the mentorship of UK-based director and producer Ri Chakraborty, a highly sought after talent within the world of international broadcasting.

Il-Muża li Kellmitni

Il-Muża li Kellmitni is a docu-series dedicated to the different stories recounted at MUŻA, The National Community Art Museum, but above all, it is a work that focuses on how art has a place in our lives, particularly during tough times such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The main aim of the work was to create and facilitate access to MUŻA, inspired by the collective belief of the NoċeMuskata team that art must be accessible to all. This docu-series was intended to serve as a bridge between these two elements and to bring Maltese cultural history to the public. A history that, after all, is a crucial part of our Maltese identity.

The production reflects on a central question: what can MUŻA offer to those not familiar with visual arts, that would still give them an unforgettable experience?

From this question, Il-Muża li Kellmitni was born. This docu-series recounts the journey of four distinct personalities, who in spite of their respective successes, are not traditionally associated with visual arts.

Il-Muża li Kellmitni

Il-Baħar u Hi (ma’ Lydia Abela)

Il-Muża li Kellmitni

F’Qalb l-Organista (ma’ Wayne Marshall)

Il-Muża li Kellmitni

F’Salib it-Toroq Qalb L-Imwieġ (ma’ Walid Nabhan)

Il-Muża li Kellmitni

Żeffinni Qalb l-Arti (ma’ Andrea Riolo)

Il-Muża li Kellmitni was funded through Kultura TV by Arts Council Malta and aired on ONE TV last December 2020. Due to popular demand, the four part series will be airing again on ONE TV this December 2021 on Monday 27^th, Wednesday 29^th, Thursday 30^th and Friday 31^st at 14:50.

Diplomazija Astuta: An Exclusive Feature by NoċeMuskata

Commissioned by Arts Council Malta, and featured on Nowness International

Earlier this year, the NoċeMuskata team had the honour of documenting Malta’s participation in the 59th Venice Biennale, arguably the largest and most prestigious international cultural institution.

Malta’s pavilion, aptly titled Diplomazija Astuta, looks into the deepest, most visceral themes explored in Caravaggio’s The Beheading of St. John the Baptist (1608) and gives them a contemporary makeover. Through the collective work of artists Arcangelo Sassolino, Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci, Brian Schembri, and co-curators Keith Sciberras and Jeffrey Uslip, Caravaggio’s indignation at the biblical tragedy and injustice feels very much pertinent to our modern times.

In this exclusive feature for Arts Council Malta and Nowness, the NoċeMuskata team, in collaboration with Sebio Aquilina Audio Visuals, closely documented the artists’ and curators’ internal dialogues and processes, which led to the creation of Diplomazija Astuta.

You can see more on Nowness here or below.

National Book Council’s Branding, Design and Marketing Management

NoċeMuskata is proud to have been entrusted with planning, drafting, and coordinating the implementation of the communication strategy for Malta’s National Dance Company, ŻfinMalta.

Over the years, ŻfinMalta has always been at the forefront of a budding contemporary art scene in Malta, pioneering fresh thinking about contemporary dance, and raising the sector’s profile considerably. The company, under the artistic director of Paolo Mangiola, offers a space where artists can take risks, contributing to an open and expansive dance ecology, and providing opportunities for both emerging and established dance professionals to realise their full potential.

NoċeMuskata prides itself with ensuring that these core goals and principles shine through the company’s communication strategy in every single way. Tasked with developing, managing, and implementing an integrated marketing and communications plan for both the local and international markets, we strive to grow the company’s audience, both physically and virtually, and enhancing engagement and a deep connection by making ŻfinMalta’s exceptional work shine through.

An interview with Sarah-Lee Zammit, Director of NoċeMuskata and Paolo Mangiola, Artistic Director of ŻfinMalta.

Date: 20th December 2021

Q: You’ve been working together for two years now. Can you tell us a little bit about your collaboration, how you work together and what has emerged through this collaboration?

P: When we started working with NoċeMuskata, we were pleased to discover that their vision and values were aligned with our own. We share the vision of bringing the arts closer to the people, the people closer to the arts.

SL: Yes, absolutely. Unfortunately many people perceive there to be a gap that banishes the arts to the realm of lofty intellectualism, out of reach of ‘normal people’. We, on the other hand, feel that the arts are actually very much akin to our first attempts at expression.

P: Yes, creative expression is an instinct that we have from earliest childhood. Children use colours, objects, movement, sounds, all kinds of media to express themselves instinctively. Throughout history, tribal societies have used a variety of art forms to pass on their stories and, through them, their cultural norms.

Q: Do you feel that people still express themselves through art?  

SL: In our society, some people choose to evolve this instinct to create through learning techniques and creating their own ‘vocabulary’ to express themselves in their chosen art form, these are the people we call ‘artists’. But I believe that anyone can reconnect to this instinct at any time in their lives and can thus interact meaningfully with the arts. Not everyone has to take it to the professional level, we can also engage in the arts as a hobby, either by creating or by engaging as an audience.

Q: How does ŻfinMalta bring the arts closer to the people?  

P: At ŻfinMalta our art form is dance. We use movement to tell stories, to explore ideas and the world from a different perspective, to allow us to express things that cannot adequately be put into words. What we hope to evoke in the audience is a reaction to what they see, this could be a sense of recognition or wonder, of curiosity or validation, of fascination, even surprise or shock at times.

Whatever they might feel, our hope is that it will open new perspectives and inspire new thoughts, lead to learning and personal growth in one way or another.

Q: What benefits do you feel the arts can offer us?  

SL: In this day and age, where we spend so much time in ‘echo chambers’ (i.e. spaces where everyone agrees with us), the arts have an important role to play. The algorithms we interact with and that shape our experience to a large extent are set to just give us more of what we already believe, more of what we like to hear. While this might be comforting in some ways, there is a danger of becoming intellectually lazy, of not examining different perspectives anymore, of avoiding critical thought because it is uncomfortable and challenges the status quo.

The arts have always played a role in shaking people up, opening up different perspectives, enriching the debate, allowing us to explore feelings that are not in line with mainstream opinions and trends. People who feel misunderstood or marginalized, people who are looking for intellectual stimulation, people who simply want to expand their horizons have found solace in the arts. It doesn’t matter where they come from, what kind of education they have or what they do for a living, the arts can touch anyone’s life because the topics we discuss are universal to all humans.

P: Working with NoċeMuskata has allowed us to reach more people, to allow larger audiences to benefit by finding consolation, escaping to the comfort of a beautiful story, provoking new thoughts, or opening up additional perspectives. As we evolve together, NoċeMuskata and ŻfinMalta side-by-side, we both thrive in this collaboration that is all about allowing the Maltese people to be more actively engaged with the arts.

Image: ŻfinMalta Weaving Chaos
Credits: Marija Grech