Tea room for resilience

part of Spring 2022-2024 - a programme by the Gabriel Caruana Foundation 

The exhibition, Beneath the surface, features new works by Samuel Ciantar, Sarah Chircop and Isaac Warrington. Beneath the surface is conceptually developed and curated by Co-Creative Director and Curator Elyse Tonna. Collectively and separately the artists have unfolded different meanings and associations to the acts of resistance, resilience and rebellion. Within the exhibition, the surface takes on a metaphorical meaning and transforms itself into an opportunity for investigation across various happenings, most often beyond our control.

‘Tea room for resilience’ frames a calm space in The Mill through a sculptural light and table. The objects seem familiar, yet unusual; found, yet reclaimed; crafted, yet merged with industrial design elements.

The light fixture is crafted from the root of giant reeds (Qasab) where every bulb on the chandelier can be connected to a different source of energy that can power its light. Borrowing from the natural characteristics of this rhizomatic root system, which are able to multiply from every node, the sculpture suggests a model of thought for how we might go about being resilient in an ever changing world.

The table, crafted from marble offcuts and reclaimed plastic, embodies a compelling juxtaposition between a raw material shaped by nature over millennia and a synthetic substance created by humans that may equally outlast us. This material interplay prompts reflection on how we can cultivate resilience in an era marked by waste and excessive production.

Additionally, the act of choosing to craft objects conveys resistance, serving as a defiant stance against the prevailing consumer culture that perpetuates material waste. Can objects prompt us to rethink our rituals of living and spark small acts of resistance that can also help us become more resilient?