Our Story
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Past Forward
The theme Past Forward, reflects on how history shapes today’s innovations and future challenges. From immersive exhibits on marine pollution and historical injustice to music designed for the deaf community and journeys through ancient and modern medicine, the programme invites you to explore the past and the future.
J.E.D.I
The aim was to connect research to ALL audiences by going back to JEDI values: Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. We brought international and local performers, a dizzying array of scientific fields through a large number of researchers, and enough interactive performances and experiments to fill up all of last September with events.
Changemakers
We defined a changemaker as someone who takes creative action to solve a problem. Researchers were put at the forefront of this movement, with help from researchers, artists and the public. The festival shattered our previous audience records by attracting over 34,000 people.
Taking Root
Community and social responsibility were at the centre of our activities. All participants focused on what changes we can all make, nurturing the audience’s critical thinking and problem solving skills using the arts, experiments, games, demos and hands-on activities to motivate visitors and develop environmental consciousness, contributing to the European Green Deal.
Sowing Seeds
Effecting change was again pivotal to this event. Together with artists, researchers, NGOs, industry, students and the community we sowed the seeds of active citizenship. We held performances in over seven venues across Valletta retaining an online precsence as restriction on lockdown were eased.
Engage, Empower, Enable
The pandemic taught us how to create a purely digital experience for our audiences. We looked to create awareness about how research and scientific knowledge can empower and enable us to make a difference. Digital escape rooms, performances and fishbowl discussions attracted 20,000 people!
The Science of YOU
The festival made its audiences its top priority. The festival focused on how science and research help us in all aspects of our lives. Medicine and health, the environment we live in, the technology that assists and entertains us, human relations and so much more.
Science is Culture
2018 was the year we celebrated Valletta as the European Capital of Culture
The University of Applied Arts, Vienna and University of Malta created three interactive installations called Of Mice, Carbon and Tritons.
Today' Research; Tomorrow's Future
The festival produced the internationally acclaimed artistic installation Light Pushes Stuff by Late Interactive, Toni Gialanze, Andrew Schembri, in collaboration with quantum physicist Prof. Andre Xuereb and science communicator Danielle Farrugia it went on to tour Hong Kong and Germany.
The Brain
Our first fetival to be given a theme.
Our feature artworks were, a light installations Brainrave by Late Interactive by Toni Gialanze & Andrew Schembri and a psychiatry through the ages exhibition by the Mount Carmel Hospital.
The Sky's the Limit
The Rosetta Mission, thanks to the hard work of the Institute of Space Science at the University of Malta, landed in the heart of Valletta turning it into a mission site and comet landscape.
Showcasing Innovation
AMAZE2 a giant maze that covered half of St George’s Square at the heart of Valletta with Valletta 2018 and Notte Bianca.
Engaging with science and the arts
Street art installations including Humanised fruit flies (by Liliana Fleri Soler) and Light up my house (by Lyanne Mifsud)
How it all started!
Five Street art installations by renowned and upcoming Maltese artists, most notably Raphael Vella (Cortex) and Norbert Francis Attard (You Are The Staircase).