The office of the Archbishop’s Delegate for Culture has introduced its first exhibition currently taking place at the Malta Society of Arts, Valletta. Titled Silence Within Abundant Birdsong, it is curated by Andrew Borg Wirth alongside Sera Galea.
The project seeks to celebrate 50 years since the Manikata parish church, designed by Richard England, entered the sphere of Malta’s abundant holy buildings.
Featuring new works by Austin Camilleri, Julian Vassallo, Victor Agius and Laetitia Troisi de Menville, the exhibition runs until April 24.
While elucidating some aspects about the church building, Borg Wirth and Galea say the Manikata church was one of the first churches built in Malta after the Second Vatican Council, implementing a novel liturgical approach where the altar embraces the congregation – an innovative concept at the time.
Lumen by Austin Camilleri, 2025“The church’s organic form hugs the surrounding landscape at the periphery – a stark contrast to the traditional church-centric village layout Maltese people at the time were accustomed to,” they say.
England’s design of the Manikata church was a bold departure from conventional ecclesiastical architecture, embodying a sense of humility that was initially met with surprise but is now regarded as a landmark of national pride.
The curators believe this is why the four participating artists have found fertile ground for this project and audiences have been drawn to it so forcefully and for such a long time.
The iconic church designed by England has long been considered a highlight in Malta’s modernist architectural heritage. The exhibiting artists explore their relation to the site of Manikata and the parish’s surrounding landscape, its architecture and sacredness through the mediums of sculpture, photography and music.
Indeed, England states in the catalogue of the exhibition that, when designing a sacred building, “above all what is required is to create loci of meditative silence, prayer and mystic.”
The exhibition features new works by four artists who interact with the building and its surroundings.
“Richard England’s design was radical in its time,” say Borg Wirth and Galea.
They explain how the participating artists were invited to respond to the Manikata church’s impact through their respective media and disciplines in a series of installations occupying the Malta Society of Arts.
Manikata Reflections by Julian Vassallo, 2025“Each artist has explored their personal path to the sacred, interpreting the church’s site in ways that resonate with them. This is reflected in the artworks they have made for this brief,” they say.
“Throughout the past months of research, we travelled through different scales and levels of ephemerality, reinforcing the concept of transience and permanence in sacred spaces.”
Silence is woven into the architecture through the interplay between enclosed and open spaces
An archival point of departure
In the galleries, an archive precedes the artworks as a point of departure and is seen immediately upon entry.
In 1975, artists also responded to the newly inaugurated parish church. Fifty years ago, the church became a site for art installations as part of the Edinburgh Arts Festival.
Scottish artist Richard Demarco worked closely with England to host a group of artists on a journey from the Neolithic temples of Ħaġar Qim to the Neolithic stone circle of Callanish, Scotland.
Borg Wirth and Galea say that, today, this dialogue continues through the exhibition Silence Within Abundant Birdsong.
“Without revealing too much, Richard England’s design embraces a profound sense of place and time,” they say.
Archive Room forming part of the exhibition at the Malta Society of Arts“The tactility of the materials, the texture of the stone, the sound of the surrounding landscape, and the interplay of light and shadow all contribute to an atmosphere of contemplation and have been focal to the artists’ interpretations.”
The curators say that silence is woven into England’s architecture through the interplay between enclosed and open spaces, and the way the structure harmonises with its surrounding environment.
“The relationship between birdsong and silence in the title is mirrored by the duality of sky and land, the divine and the secular,” they continue.
One may wonder, what are an architect’s responsibilities when on sacred ground?
The curators point to the exhibition catalogue which features an interview by art writer Ann Dingli with England from 2024, where he reflects on this very question: “When you’re designing a sacred building, you’re measuring against the immeasurable. That’s a tall task.
“What is required? A sense of silence. And to me, one of the most important spaces in a sacred building is the threshold. It’s the passage between the secular and the sacred, and you cannot step from the secular to the sacred, without meditation, without preparation.”
Silence Within Abundant Birdsong is taking place at the Malta Society of Arts until April 24. This project is supported by APS Bank, The Alfred Mizzi Foundation, RLAUTIER and Spades Wines & Spirits.