MAPPING THE LIGHT, ST ANGELO 2026

Mapping the Light, St Angelo is a tapestry composed of more than 144 pieces of Flemish linen sewn together. It  features a drawing inspired by 16th-century engravings of The Siege of Malta (1565).

The image is transferred onto the linen using the cyanotype technique and sunlight. Each piece of linen is exposed to sunlight at a different location at Fort St. Angelo. The sun draws the landscape directly onto the material and the site is literally mapped out.

Each canvas documents a specific moment, and together they form a collective visual memory of the place. The work reveals a timeline in which past, present and future are intertwined.

This work captures the layered history and transient beauty of this historic location through light. Using the sun as a drawing tool, the work is created and presented in situ, emphasising a direct connection between the artwork and its context. The project ties in with the stories and strategic significance of Fort St. Angelo.

A contrast arises between the mapping of war scenes and the poetic lightness of capturing sunlight. The Flemish linen refers to the monumental Flemish tapestries in St. John's Cathedral in Valletta.