Blue is the coolest colour in water-inspired exhibition

For three years their water paints bled onto paper, but blue appeared to be the coolest colour on the final artwork of students who, since September 2015, have been working on creating their version of the world with water at its centre.

The ‘Imagine Water, Catch the Drop’ project was launched in Malta for three scholastic years 2015-2018 and will culminate in a public exhibition as part of the Spazju Kreattiv programme at St James Cavalier, Valletta, in April 2018.

Sponsored by HSBC Water Programme – Catch the Drop and run by l’association École d'art au village (Edaav), the project was designed to engage artists, teachers, and students in a long-term and meaningful creative process while raising awareness of the importance of water to the Maltese islands. Students were encouraged to use a variety of media such as paint, photography, video, music, collage, or installations.

Edaav is said to be a growing movement of global artists who have dedicated themselves to inspire children to appreciate culture and heritage via artistic mediums.

In Malta, a total of 125 students per scholastic year were supervised by Edaav President Sébastien Cailleux and Maltese artist Luca Cauchi. The participating students came from three schools in Malta and one in Gozo.

Sébastien Cailleux said: “It is thanks to the funding by HSBC Water Programme – Catch the Drop that we would not have been able to introduce the ideals of l’association École d'art au village to Malta. Together with HSBC, our other partners Canson and Sennelier, provided an artistic space to young beneficiaries to freely express their talent.”

Artist Luca Cauchi said: “Through this innovative project, not only could I explore and expand my artistic skills, but I could also see the theme of water from a completely different perspective. Children have a lot of energy and when this is channelled into a brush and onto paper, wonderful artworks emerge.”

The exhibition will run from 13th April 2018 to 13th May 2018 and purposefully elevates Valletta’s artistic standing during a time when the city will be celebrating being the European Capital of Cul- ture 2018. Public workshops will also be held alongside the exhibition.

The HSBC Water Programme – Catch the Drop is the largest ever national environmental and edu- cational campaign of its kind in Malta with an aim to forge a blueprint for progress on sustainability of water as a resource. The programme was launched in 2013 and has been extended until 2019.