Mapping the Light, St Angelo Malta 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.
Curatorial team: Rosa Martinez, Antoine Borg Micaleff, Alexia Medici
Images : Exhibition view Fort St Angelo, Birgu, MAPPING THE LIGHT, ST ANGELO, 2026, 450 cm x 380 cm , cyanotype on Flemish linen
