MCAST student turns 75-year-old story into interactive website

A 75-year-old story of pianist Frank Camilleri, il-Bibi, a topnotch musician of the last century has been turned into an interactive website by MCAST student, Nicholas Azzopardi. IlBibi started performing in Strait Street at the age of 14.

Mr Azzopardi developed the website for his BA (Hons) degree in Graghic Design and Interactive Media disssertation. Redd Caruana, thesis supervisor, suggested the theme.

“I was intrigued by the stories in George Cini’s book, Strada Stretta: Aktar dawl fuq it-triq li darba xegħlet il-Belt which features il-Bibi’s story,” Mr Azzopardi said.

The website highlights the most important milestones in Bibi’s life. The project was displayed at the end of year exhibition, titled Leave a Mark, organised by the Institute for the Creative Arts at MCAST, recently.

“Il-Bibi’s story underscores the laid-back tempo of the time, the effects of WWII as well as the sensual entertainment provided in the bars and music halls in Strait Street,” Mr Azzopardi said.

When contacted, MCAST lecturer, Mr Caruana said: “I look forward to see how Nicholas develops this project further since it adds value to local history.

“With an ever-growing demand for a digital presence, commercial firms look for competent technical artists to get top drawer jobs done. This is what we prepare our students for.” In fact, Mr Azzopardi has landed a job as a web designer/developer at Logix Creative.

This is not the first time Mr Cini’s books on Strait Street have formed the basis for dissertations. In 2013, Stefanelle Cachia graduated BA (Hons) First Class in Dance Studies from the School of Performing Arts, while Jurgen Camilleri, gradutated BSc (Hons) in ICT from the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology. Both attended the University of Malta.