On Culture: Mapping Valletta 2018

A policy document that studies the use of space – public, private and communal – for cultural activity and expression is of primary importance to any city that aspires to engage its citizens in processes of civic and artistic creativity. Valletta’s title as European Capital of Culture 2018 encourages a critical reflection on this issue, examining the various cultural practices undertaken by the local communities and raising questions on how these activities are mediated and negotiated through a city’s space and cultural infrastructure. This collection of essays presents a multidisciplinary perspective on these issues, exploring the use of cultural spaces for different types of cultural interaction – from Argentine tango to the use of theatre spaces – from a broad range of academic fields. This analysis is carried out in light of the Malta’s ever-changing cultural sector (both in terms of cultural infrastructure and cultural policy) in the run-up to Valletta 2018, bringing forth compelling new thinking on Malta’s cultural realities.