Life in the Junction - Public Art Sculpture

A night view close up of a 5 meter Bronze sculpture of a prickly pear character called Beppe.

Life in the Junction

Proposed Public Monument - April 2020

The proposed monument is a creative response to add more life and joy to the urban area. Life in the Junction is a play on the idea of humanising an iconic element of our Maltese landscape, that of the prickly pear, through a charming character called Beppe.

The Origins

The origins of this idea is a development from a self initiated project which led to a solo exhibition, dated back in 2018. The project, titled Malta’s Got Some Character, aims to highlight and promote Maltese culture as vibrant cartoon characters. The collection iconifies key figures and characteristics of the Maltese Island, some of which include the Lady of Fertility, the Luzzu, the Maltese traditional musician, the Maltese Knight, the prickly pear, and many more. The collection has so far been well received from the public and press and is continuously evolving.

The Concept & Theme

Similarly, this proposal intends to highlight Malta through characters. From the several characters, Beppe the prickly pear has been chosen to be the most fitting, as he represents the prickly pears that hug our landscape. Beppe’s purpose is to add more life to the junction. The general theme of movement is being tackled in an indirect way by taking inspiration from cartoons (images in motion). The theme of motion is incorporated by having Beppe frozen in a gesture that gives the idea of a body in motion. The monument is intended to be perpendicular to the direction of the ongoing traffic to help build the illusion that he is about to cross the road.

Positioning: The direction of Beppe will be facing perpendicular to the ongoing traffic. The idea of this placement is to give off an illusion that Beppe is about to cross the road .

The Gesture: Captured in a frame of motion, Beppe’s gesture is structured to give a sense of curiosity and positivity as he walks while raises his arm to reach out for the butterfly nearby.

Day View: Here is the initial sketch of Beppe in an aged bronze epoxy coat in fibreglass. The aged bronze look was chosen to give a sense of time, heritage, and belonging.

Night View: During the evening the monument is illuminated from one light source. The light is positioned between the wings of the butterfly in order to create an interesting illumination while also highlighting the idea of life.

Preliminary Analysis of Structural Support: Beppe is intended to be brought to life in fiberglass manufacturing with a steel skeleton. In order to support vertical and horizontal loads, the design of the main structure is to be made of welded steel circular hollow sections including a base foundation.