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SEA SHELL S AS FOLX A RT Ange lo Donga 11

One gets accus tomed d u r i n g f e s t a time, s e e i n g i n our p a r i s h churches, the u s u a l a r r a y of f l o w e r bouquets o f f e r e d by l o c a l s o c i e t i e s or some i n d i v i d u a l d e v o t e e s , i n honour of the patron s a i n t d u r i n g p a r i s h c e l e b r a t i o n s . T h i s i s a long e s t a b l i s h e d f o l k l o r i s t i c m a n i f e s t a t i o n , and a custom of our c o l o u r f u l f o l k l i f e - Yet, on t h e i r own, t h e s e bouquets of f l o w e r arrangement form a d e f i n i t e f o l k l o r i s t i c study. On such an event, one occa­s i o n a l l y comes a c r o s s something w i t h a d i f f e r e n c e , some f o l k l o r -i s t i c item t h a t s h o u l d be d u l y r e c o r d e d w i t h comments about i t .

On S a t u r d a y , Augus t f i r s t , 1992, and next day, Sunday, d u r i n g the f e s t a of S a i n t P e t e r , p a t r o n s a i n t of Birżebbuġa p a r i s h , i n the c h u r c h t h e r e was the u s u a l a r r a y of p y r a m i d a l and cone-shaped f l o w e r bouquets i n f r o n t of the t i t u l a r s t a t u e , but among them t h e r e was an i t e m of an e n t i r e l y d i f f e r e n t n a t u r e . I t was a metre h i g h model of t h e p a r i s h c h u r c h of S a i n t P e t e r , c o v e r e d a l l o v e r w i t h s e a s h e l l s c o l l e c t e d from Ramla, P r e t t y Bay, Birżebbuġa.

I t was, i n i t s e l f , a s howpiece, much admired by t h o s e v i s i t ­i n g the c h u r c h on f e s t a d a y s . I t was a magni f i e e n t p i e c e of f o l k a r t done w i t h a d m i r a b l e p e r s e v e r a n c e and i n f i n i t e p a t i e n c e by Mr. J o h n Worroan of Birżebbuġa, a r e t i r e d E n g l i s h m a n . The mode 1 was v e r y a c c u r e a t e i n shape, p r o p o r t i o n s and d e t a i l s , and one c o u l d m a r v e l a t t h e c r a f t s m a n s h i p and g r e a t work u n d e r t a k e n by the g entleman! We were i n f o r m e d t h a t i t was made from 22,000 co­l o u r f u l t i n y s e a s h e l l s c o v e r i n g t h e whole model, m a i n l y composed of t h e T r i c o l i a pulla s p e c i e s , t o g e t h e r w i t h o t h e r s , as Cyelope (Panorme1 l o ) pel 1ucida, Mi t r e l i a s c r i p t a , Columbella r u s t i c a , and Astraea (Bolma) rugosa, and t h e who l e work was i n t e r s p e r s e d w i t h s mal 1 Arca noae s he l i s f o r e x t r a d e c o r a t i v e e f f e c t . One v e r y r a r e l y , t h e s e d a y s , comes a c r o s s s u c h a f i n e p i e c e of f o l k a r t .

S e a s h e l l s , w i t h t h e i r m y r i a d p a t t e r n s , n a t u r a l d e s i g n c o l o u r and s h a p e s , o f f e r v a r i e d p o s s i b i l i t i e s f o r t h e i r a p p l i c a t i o n i n d i f f e r e n t a b s t r a c t p a t t e r n s . The l u r e , a t t r a c t i o n and f a s c i n a ­t i o n o f c o l l e c t i n g s e a s h e l l s , by many c a l l e d " j e w e l s of t h e s e a " have been i r r e s i s t i b l e f o r t h e c r e a t i o n of objects d ' a r t . T h e i r use i n f o l k d e c o r a t i o n , p e r s o n a l o r a m b i e n t a i , has been g o i n g on s i n c e t i m e immemorial, a l l t h e w o r l d o v e r , e s p e c i a l l y by p e o p l e d w e l l i n g c l o s e t o t h e c o a s t , and more so a r o u n d sandy b e a c h e s where t h e s e s h e l I s a r e c a s t a s h o r e and e a s y t o c o l l e c t , t u r n i n g up i n t h e i r b e s t show form.

When S t . G r e g o r y ' s m o r n i n g f e s t i v i t i e s a t żejtun were over , p e o p l e u s e d t o t h r o n g t h e s e a s i d e r e s o r t s c l o s e by, and combed M a r s a x l o k k b e a c h and t h e n e a r b y Ramla s a n d y cove a t Birżebbuġa, f o r s e a s h e 1 I s . L a t e r on i n t h e e v e n i n g , t h e v a r i o u s s p e c i e s of s h e l l s were t a k e n b a c k home, and k e p t them b u s y c r e a t i n g objects d'art. B u t t h e n , t h o s e d a y s were more l e a s u r e l y and e a s y g o i n g ! C o r a l too, w h i t e o r r e d , ( t h e l a t t e r more v a l u a b l e and l e s s a v a i l a b l e ) was o b t a i n e d from f i s h e r f o l k , t o be i n c o r p o r a t e d f o r e x t r a d e c o r a t i o n i n many a f o l k object d'art.

Mnay p e o p l e , t h e s e d a y s , h a v e a t r y a t some s o r t of f o l k des i g n o r f o l k d e c o r a t i o n made from s e a s h e l i s , and p a t i e n t l y p e r s e v e r e i n t h i s t i m e - c o n s u m i n g p a s t i Some d o i n g i t p r o f e s

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s i o n a l l y , p r o d u c i n g s o u v e n i r s f o r t o u r i s t s . At one time, t h i s pastime was v e r y popular i n M a l t a ; i n d e e d i t i s a v e r y o l d form of f o l k a r t . I t re a c h e d i t s peak around the m i d d l e of the 1 8 t h c e n t u r y , and i n p r i v a t e c o l l e c t i o n s , one c o u l d s e e e x q u i s i t e bouquets made e n t i r e l y of s e a s h e l i s . . These were près urnably made by c o n v i c t s , but were commissioned by the M a l t e s e n o b i l i t y , and g i v e n as p r e s e n t s to the Grand M a s t e r of t h e O r d e r of S a i n t John. I n M a l t e s e c h u r c h e s and c h r u c h museums, one c a n a l s o s e e t h e s e sma 11 bouquets i n n i c h e s . B u t s u c h e x q u i s i t e work as p r c a t i c e d i n those days i s a l l but a l o s t a r t , i n s p i t e of some s u r v i v a l on a s m a l l s c a l e .

However, t h i s form of f o l k a r t went on s p o r a d i c a l l y t h r o u g h -l o u t the V i c t o r i a n e r a , and one c o u l d s t i l l s e e many f i n e exam­p l e s today, i n p r i v a t e homes and c o l l e c t i o n s . A t my g r a n d p a r ­e n t s ' house i n S e n g l e a , I remember a c o u p l e o f f o l k a r t examples made from s e a s h e l l s ; one was a s m a l l c a v e of c o r a l and s h e l l s , s h e l t e r i n g a s m a l l c l a y f i g u r e (pastur) of S t . Ant h o n y t h e Abbot i n s i d e i t , and t h e o t h e r a wax f i g u r e o f Baby J e s u s s u r r o u n d e d by f l o w e r s and a b s t r a c x t o r naments made from c o r a l and s e a s h e l l s . B o t h t h e s e 18 t h c e n t u r y e x a m p l e s were p r o t e c t e d u n d e r g l a s s, , b u t u n f o r t u n a t e l y l o s t i n the b l i t z .

S e a s he 11 f o l k a r t was most p o p u l a r among seamen on l o n g j o u r n e y s , and among c o n v i c t s s e r v i n g l o n g t e r m s i n j a i l . Howev­e r , t h i s pas t i m e , from t i m e t o t i m e , was t a k e n up by p e o p l e of a l l s t a n d i n g , and l u c k i l y t h e r e h a v e been many books p u b i i s h e d on the s u b j e c t . T h i s t y p e o f f o l k d e c o r a t i o n h a s b e e n c o n c u r r e n t , but on a l o w e r s c a l e , w i t h a n o t h e r , b u t p r a c t i c a l l y dead f o l k c r a f t , t h e ganuti J, a r t i f i c i a l f l o w e r - m a k i n g and a r r a n g e m e n t .

T h e r e i s a t e n d e n c y t o c r e a t e a b s t r a c t i o n s i n f r e e forms o r g e o m e t r i c p a t t e r n s . I t i s a l s o a form o f ( s o - c a l l e d ) p e a s a n t a r t , o r what we c o u l d t e r m a s f i s h e r m a n 1 s a r t . T h i s l i t t l e w r i t t e n - a b o u t ( h e r e i n M a l t a ) form o f a r t c o u l d be l o o k e d upon as a c o l l a g e o f f r e e l y found p i e c e s o f p r e t t y n a t u r a l o b j e c t s . The f o l k a r t i s t a l s o aims a t a d d i n g s o m e t h i n g more t o h i s l i f e ' s e n v i r o n m e n t and make h i s s u r r o u n d i n g s more c o n g e n i a 1 t o 1 i v e i n . O b j e c t s s u c h a s t h o s e made o f s e a s h e l l s c o u l d s e r v e a s a memento of someone who has been a few t i m e s t o t h e s e a s i d e o r t o some f e s t a a t M a r s a x l o k k some y e a r s b a c k !

I n t h i s t y p e o f f o l k a r t , one c o u l d s e e f r a m e d p i c t u r e s o f f l o w e r b o u q u e t s and v a r i o u s t y p e s o f abs t r a c t d e c o r a t i o n , o r p i c t u r e f r a m e s s t u d d e d w i t h s e a s h e l l s i n a b s t r a c t d e s i g n , o l d seamen's v a l e n t i n e boxes, g r o t t o e s l a r g e o r s r a a l 1 , c r e d e n c e - t o p d e c o r a t i o n s u n d e r g l a s s , b o u q u e t s , b o t t l e s and f u r n i t u r e c o v e r e d a l l o v e r w i t h v a r i o u s s p e c i e s a nd s i z e s o f s e a s h e l l s , and a l l s o r t s o f o t h e r d e c o r a t i v e i t e m s . One s h o u l d n o t f o r g e t o u t d o o r f o u n t a i n s , l o g g i a s and g r o t t o e s .

A g r e a t e x p o n e n t and e x p e r t i n t h i s t y p e o f f o l k a r t was t h e l a t e R e v e r e n d Dun F r a n s Carni 1 I e r i o f Hamrun; he l e f t us many ex a m p l e s o f h i s e x q u i s i t e w o rks t o a d m i r e .

See photos on page 61, and c a p t i o n s on page 79

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l i t - t f a l 1 - o r a z z j o n i u x i nursery rhymes <5« f I

xebba; meta r t i r a t m i t - t a g ℏ l i m k i e n e t iżżomm T m f n - T kienet s t r a y s t a t - t r i q . K i e n e t tℏobb h a f n a i T n n i r n V u ^ \ 7 * * * * * * j i g r u m a l l i j i s i m g h u h a s s e j h i l h o m . I l l u r T , ℏ d e j n i^-kamra^

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żogℏżitu. I s s i r t i r r i s p e t t h o m u j s i r u qishom membri t a l - f a m i l j a T a j t x kemm n i f r a ℏ meta n i l t a q a ' ma x i ℏadd minnhorn. N i f t a k a r

f i l - l a q m i j i e t l i konna nsibuhom bihom, f ' x i somma tal-homework i i

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q a b e l 1 - i s k o l a . . . .

N i f t a k a r u k o l l g ℏ a l l - ℏ a b t a t a l - 1 9 3 8 , meta f t i t q a b e l i l -

g w e r r a k i e n s a r K u n g r e s s f uq i 1 - f o s o s t a l - F u r j a n a . I n ġ a b r u t f a i m i l 1 - i s k e j j e l t a ' M a l t a k o l l h a , p r i v a t i u t a l - g v e r n . I n t r e r n a t t r i b u n a k b i r a s a b i ℏ a f u q i l - f o s o s , g ℏ o l j a u t i t l a ' b i t - t a r a ġ , t i d h e r m i n n k u l l i m k i e n . I t - t f a l k i e n u mqassmin f i k w a d r a n t i s k o n d 1 - i s k e j j e l r i s p e t t i v i . Waqt i t - t q a r b i n , numru k b i r t a ' s a ċ e r d o t i t f e r x u ma1 k u l 1 i m k i e n , i q a r b n u dak in-numru k b i r t a ' teachers u t f a l . N i f t a k a r lì w a r a ' k i e n u t a w n a borża ℏ e l u u b o t t

ℏ a l i b f r i s k , l i dak iż-żmien k i e n j i k k o n s i s t i minn carton t a x -xerogℏa, u b a n d i e r a b a j d a u s a f r a t a l - p a p a .

F i l - k l a s s i j i e t k i e n u j i n t g ℏ a ż l u t f a i b i e x j i ġ b r u u j q a s smu 1 - p i t a z z i , o ℏ r a j n b i e x i ċ e m p l u 1 - q a n p i e n a l i k i e n e t t a r - r a m b'manku t w i l , g ℏ a r - r i k r e j a z z j o n i j e w ghax s i r il-Tïin. Dawn 1 -

i s t u d e n t i magℏżulin k i e n i h o s shorn p r i v i l e ġ ġ j a t i .

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R e f e r to photographs on page 6 1 :

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f r o m M a l t e s e s e a s h e l l s .

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