WATER NARRATIVES

Field trip Malta April 2025           

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The second part of the project "Water Narratives: Re-thinking the Elsewhere" takes place through fieldwork in Malta, in collaboration with the curators of Insulaphilia Malta. It explores oceans and islands — especially the Mediterranean — using the Maltese archipelago as a starting point for critical reflection. Inspired by Édouard Glissant's idea of ‘archipelagic thinking’, the project looks at the relationships between mainland and island, contemporary migration, and the echoes of colonial sea routes. Through performative and sonic exercises such as collective listening, sensory walks, and seascape recordings, the project engage with the Maltese community to reimagine the idea of the "Elsewhere" — a place often symbolized by the island itself.

UPCOMING EVENTS ︎

🗓 Date: Flexible between April 21–27 — we’ll schedule based on participants' availability
🕒 Time: After lunchtime / max. 1hr walk (with breaks)
🎒 What to bring: If you have a Zoom recorder, feel free to bring it! I’ll provide the hydrophones. Please also bring your drinking water 😊

I’m inviting you to take part in walks along the coast of Valletta—one that follows the flow of water, rather than the usual city paths.

What’s a Water Walk?
A water walk is a reflective way of moving through a place, guided by water—its sounds, movements, histories, and stories (Kirsty Holstead). It invites us to slow down, listen closely, and notice how water shapes our cities. Inspired by hydrofeminist thinking (Astrida Neimanis), it’s both a research method and a way of being with the landscape and with the shifting, fluid layers of the city.

🌊 During the walk, we’ll explore the coastline, share reflections, and think together about what it means to live on and with an archipelago. We’ll end by trying out underwater hydrophones to listen to the Mediterranean.

If you’d like to join, send an email to m@melaniegarland.com

7-minute deep listening session, followed by a collective reflection.
🗓 Date: April 19, 2025.

This session invites listeners to experience sonic seascapes from the South Pacific. The session focuses on the “lost waters” of the Chiloé archipelago in Chile. Using underwater recordings and ambient soundscapes captured near industrial salmon farms, the composition reflects on the ecological impact of extractive industries and their colonial layers.

Developed during an artistic residency at the Museo de Arte Moderno de Chiloé (MAM) in 2025, the piece meditates on questions of island consciences and ecological memory. By bringing this composition to the archipelago of Malta, Melanie invites to ask: What does it mean to listen with and through the ocean? This listening experience brings underwater narratives from the South Pacific to the Mediterranean.