Valletta: City and people

In celebration of Valletta as the European Capital of Culture, awardwinning international photographer Stephen Busuttil has created a 10-year photographic retrospective of the capital of Malta for the exhibition Valletta belt u poplu / Valletta city.

Busutill's exhibition is being held in Washington, DC at the Embassy of Malta until 25 May, forming part of three major cultural events in the United States and Malta, including the Delegation of the European Union to the United States EU Embassies’ Open House Day which was held on 12 May, the month-long European Union Delegation's Celebration of Culture during this month and Valetta 2018 European Capital of Culture official programme.

Busuttil's exhibition looks at how the city and its people have changed over the last decade. Stephen has asked how Valletta and its people have changed religiously, culturally, and socially in response to globalisation. The timeframe chosen reflects his initial award-winning study of Valletta in 2008. The original study was based on a 24-hour photographic journey in the city, where one photo was taken each hour to visually document the city's life. Ten years later, Dr Daniel K. Gullo and Joseph S. Micallef, curator of the Malta Study Centre, asked Stephen to reprise this study based on the rapid changes the city has undergone since joining the European Union in 2004. While we see the continuing traditions particular to the Catholic heritage of the Maltese islands, including the feasts of saints and carnival, the influence of Europe and the wider world have left its mark on Valletta through increased tourism and globalisation.

Valletta belt u poplu/Valletta city is a project endorsed by the Valletta 2018 Foundation and is sponsored by the Malta Study Centre at the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library.