AMBIENT, an interdisciplinary art project funded by Arts Council Malta, explores the notion of identity within the school community of St Ignatius College Middle School in Handaq, Qormi. The project brought together art teachers Ms Claire Scicluna, Ms Alison Vella and Mr Gabriel Galea, each contributing their strengths in concept development, art materials, artistic techniques and project management, with visual and performing artists Ye Han, Benji Cachia and Sarah Vella. Together, this collaborative team created a holistic learning experience that proved valuable not only within the school context, but also for life.
The interdisciplinary artwork consists of a ceramic mural, a soundscape and a movement-based dance piece, all emerging directly from the school’s physical and social surroundings. Through a thematic focus on identity, students were guided through a creative process that brought connections both literally and metaphorically. Learning extended beyond the art room, encouraging students to explore their relationship with themselves, with others from similar and diverse cultural backgrounds, and with their immediate environment. The school’s unique location, bordered by countryside and a natural valley on one side, and an industrial area on the other, became a powerful metaphor for the diversity within the school community.
These contrasting landscapes symbolised the students’ collective journey: making space for difference, learning to move from judgement to curiosity, and embracing coexistence. Through this approach, the project highlighted how acknowledging cultural diversity can help mend, reconstruct and strengthen relationships within a school community.
Under the guidance of artist Ye Han, students engaged with the ancient Japanese technique of Kintsugi– the art of repairing broken pottery using lacquer embellished with gold, silver or platinum powder. Symbolically, this process reflected the idea of addressing and repairing human differences, embracing individual identities and recognising value in imperfection. Kintsugi celebrates the flawed, the incomplete and the transient, offering students a powerful metaphor for personal growth and resilience.
In the project context, Kintsugi served as a reminder that moments of “brokenness”, whether a failed friendship, disappointing exam results or personal struggles, are not endpoints but learning opportunities for transformation. The resulting ceramic mural now hangs prominently in a school corridor near the art rooms, acting as a visual reminder of the Kintsugi philosophy and the values of empathy, resilience and inclusion.
Attending the project launch on Friday, 24th April 2026, it was evident how the arts continue to offer powerful means of communication and connection among students. Even at middle-school level, where the arts are taught as non-option subjects, experiencing the project’s creative process reaffirmed the important role of interdisciplinary arts education in bridging boundaries.
Dr Charmaine Zammit
Education Officer – Art & Design
MINISTRY FOR EDUCATION, SPORT, YOUTH, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
Directorate for Early Years, Languages and Humanities (DELH)
