A brief outline of the Historical Perspective
During
the eleventh century, Christians and Muslims battled over land
throughout the Mediterranean. Norman control of the island did little to
change the way of life of Malta's inhabitants. The Angevins retained
control of the Italian mainland but the Aragonese in 1282 controlled
Sicily and Malta.
Under
Spanish rule, Malta became part of a loose confederation of states known
as the Crown of Aragon. During this time, both the Muslims and the
plague threatened life on Malta. During the fifteenth century it became
clear to the Aragonese crown that the defense of Malta was both
essential and expensive. The islanders were unable to assume full
responsibility for their own defense.
After
the loss of Rhodes in 1522, the Knights of the Order of St. John were
left without a home. In 1530, the Order accepted Charles V's offer to
create their new base on Malta.
There
are no prehistoric find-spots in the vicinity but there is a Punic tomb
in a field called Tal Ġonna. The nearest ancient remains of importance
are the Late-Roman catacombs some 500 meters away at Tal Menqa. However,
the presence of what is apparently a roman olive- crusher and of a
number of ancient worked stones suggests that there was a possibility a
roman farm as well as a quantity of olive trees at Ħal Millieri and such
an establishment might have continued to function until the Muslim
conquest in 870. although the campaigns of Count Roger in 1090 and of
roger II in 1127 brought Malta under the somewhat distant domination of
Norman Sicily, the population remained fundamentally Muslim in culture
until the early 13th century; there was little Christian
penetration before 1200. The antiquity of the settlement at Ħal Millieri
in unknown. The term Ħal u Raħal, which derived from the Arabic, and its
Sicilianate equivalent casale, indicated some sort of settlement in the
village. Hal Millieri is first documented in 1419/20 when it was a
casale with 14 men liable for militia service out of a population which
perhaps amounted to 50 or 60.
In
the decades after 1200 Malta underwent a steady process of
Christianization, in which the Latins actively converted and imported
men built churches and created an ecclesiastical organization. The
church of St. John existed by 1481, when it had already been endowed by
a member of one of the leading families of Hal Millieri, Giovanni Zammit.
Together with other churches, none of them was a cappella in 1436 or a
parish church in 1575.
No
information is available on pre-1419 times, except for what may be
inferred from the local minor place-names, almost all of which
presumably go back at least to the 14th century, though no
actual record of them survives from before 1419. Millieri itself, in its
original spelling, most probably represented the name, surname or
nickname of an original owner or settler.
A
brief outline of the construction
The
construction is an eighty centimeters by fifty centimeters (80cm x
50cm). It does contain miniature buildings of a Ħal Millieri church that
is St. John`s Chapel which is made of polystyrene, the cross which
stands in front of the chapel which is made out of wood, a shop which is
also known as ‘tal-merċa` made our of pegs, a cart made out of matches
and kebab sticks, a well made out of wood, an oil grinder made out of
match boxes, tissue paper and papers, a cobble stone wall made out of
brown paper, fields made out of authentic green grass and real soil and
a wind mill made out of steel together with a wholesome scenario.
I
used different materials
in order to bring out more features of this project. The project took me
about a month to do in order of the details it contained. I also had to
keep in mind the period in question and so authentic details had to be
shown as much as possible.
Reasons for choosing this project
There
were several reasons why I opted to do this project. Mainly I chose to
do this project because I am very much interested in all that is Maltese
and those things which make us who we are like traditions also found
throughout the fascinating history of our island.
The
history of Malta has existed ever since pre historic times, since when
history has been recorded. During the medieval times Malta has passed
many invaders which left their imprint on the Maltese islands and the
history of the same island. It is of great interest to see how the
people in these times lived and see in ambience they inhabited in. This
continues to shape the identity of us Maltese.
It
is great to see closer and work personally on a project like this as the
aesthetic element is very strong and it is a type of project from which
one learns many remarkable facts.
Aesthetic element in the project
Aesthetic
considerations within the visual arts are usually associated with the
sense of vision. A painting or sculpture however is also perceived
spatially by recognized associations and context, and even to some
extent by the senses of smell, hearing, and touch. The form of the work
can be subject to an aesthetic as much as the content.
The
aesthetic element in my project is that of the buildings, people and
tools, the usage of the colours, size, shape and even position. All
these aesthetic elements are tied to a particular period in history
which gives more life to the project and gives it a sense of meaning.
The
project in relation to the period in question
Knowing
that the aesthetic project is tied with the periods of antiquity,
medieval and renaissance I decided to portray something which brings out
the identity of the Maltese people. The period in which my project is
set is firstly a suitable period and also an interesting one to work
about.
I
chose the period of the
medieval times or also known as middle ages in which different invaders
shaped an interesting yet tiresome and conflicting period. The medieval
times are a wide spread period (5th. Century to 15th.
Century) yet I concentrated on the late years of the medivial times in
which Hal Millieri is most known for it`s chapels: those of the
Annunciation and St. John`s Chapel which is the one portrayed in my
model.
Analysis of the work
After
seeing the final product I was quite satisfied with it. Of course, there
were things which improvement could have been set upon.
One
of which could be that of more detail even though all effort was set
upon keeping authenticity. Another thing which could have been improved
is the size of the model as it could have been bigger yet restrictions
had to be kept.
Problems and possible solutions
One
of the problems which I encountered was that of the miniature people.
After visiting many different shops and trying to make ones myself, I
still couldn`t find means of ways of making miniature people which could
have resembles the people in those times and the clothing they used to
wear.
One
could have had a clearer view of Hal Millieri and the medieval times if
people were also put in the model but due to lack of resources I opted
to leave the people out and still give a sheer view with the building,
tools and scenario used in those times.
Learning from this project
There
were many things which I`ve learnt. One of which time management. This
project was not the only one which was related to school matters yet I
had to find the appropriate time to work upon this project: a project
which gave me a lot of satisfaction.
Another
thing which I`ve learnt more on is the history of our island in
particular that of the medieval times and also about the lost but very
remarkable village of Ħal Millieri.
I
also learnt to bring out more the sense of creativity in me as it has
been a long time since I`ve set my hands upon a similar project. I also
must say that I also practiced my writing skills during the process of
writing this write up.
What is creativity?
Creativity
is a subjective term which can take different meanings according to the
individual`s point of view. Personally, creativity means the ability of
a person to express her intellectual in an artistic way which can be
pleasurable for both the maker and the viewer or receiver. As long a
person puts his heart and soul into something which is manually or
produced by other means that is creativity.
Something
doesn`t have to be perfect to be a creative thing. A three year old girl
can come up with something more creative than a seventy year old
experienced painter. Fear doesn`t have to do with creativity as one has
to be experimental in order to achieve a high standard in creativity.
Ideas have to be fresh and new all the time. This is what creativity
means for me.
Bibliography
Hal
Millieri: A Maltese Casale, Its Churches and Paintings
www.halmillieri.cjb.net
Author : Leanne Ellul |
