從街頭到政府 馬耳他的全民塗鴉計劃

A visitor’s eyes never quite adjust to Malta.

馬耳他的風景向來令遊客目不暇接。

The fierce glare of the sun. The ocher-colored tones that adorn the island’s medieval architecture. The unimaginable blue of the Mediterranean Sea.

強烈而炫目的日光。點綴着島上中世紀建築的赭色色調。地中海那不可思議的藍。

And perhaps Most shocking — the graffiti.

以及也許最令人震撼的——街頭塗鴉。

Most cities around the world denounce, or grudgingly tolerate, painting on public property. But on the Mediterranean island of Malta, the process is encouraged.

世界上的大多數城市對在公物上隨意塗畫都持譴責或者勉強接受的態度。但在地中海小島馬耳他，這一行爲卻是被鼓勵倡導的。

In the shade of a pedestrian bridge, where old men and women sit on the concrete benches, staring out to sea, a wall has been splashed with color and the spray-painted words “NO WAR.”

在人行天橋下的陰涼處，老人們坐在水泥長凳上遠望大海。這裏的一面牆被潑上顏料，噴繪着“NO WAR"（不要戰爭）。

The phrase is part of a mural of a crying child carrying a teddy bear that’s been shot in the head.

這是一幅牆壁塗鴉的一部分，圖中哭泣的兒童抱着他被子彈擊中頭部的泰迪熊。

This wall, like many on the island, was earmarked by the local council for street art.

這面牆，像島上的其他許多面牆一樣，是由當地主管街頭藝術的委員會繪製的。

Malta is so fond of what other cities would call graffiti, a government agency, Arts Council Malta, teaches street art in schools and even in some retirement homes.

馬耳他十分熱愛這種被其他城市稱爲街頭塗鴉的藝術形式。這裏成立了專門的政府機構馬耳他藝術理事會，負責在學校甚至養老院教授街頭藝術。

James Grimaud, the artist who painted the antiwar mural, teaches students to sketch, make stencils and use spray paint.

詹姆斯•格里莫德(James Grimaud)是一位繪製反戰壁畫的藝術家，他還教授學生素描、製作噴刷磨具和噴繪。

Sandra Borg, of the arts council, said the street art projects “engage with numerous communities and contribute directly to urban regeneration.”

藝術理事會成員桑德拉•博格(Sandra Borg)認爲，街頭藝術項目“連接接洽了無數社區，並且直接爲城市的新生做出了貢獻。”

The island’s streets had traditionally been dotted with works of devotional art, depicting figures like the Virgin Mary, and Mr. Grimaud said “there isn’t a history of vandalism on the island.”

這個小島上的街道一直以來被富有宗教色彩的藝術所裝點，描繪諸如聖母瑪利亞之類的人物。“這個島上從來沒有故意毀壞文化藝術的歷史。”格里莫德說。

That might be part of why the modern murals, which are more likely to focus on political corruption or the commercialization of the island, are still treated with a kind of secular reverence.

也許正因爲如此，儘管大部分島上的當代壁畫都以政治腐敗和商業化加劇爲主題，它們仍然得到了世俗的尊重。