Chris Briffa Architects

Skin Peep . Valletta

Chris Briffa Architects

Skin Peep was born out of the idea of exhibiting the architectural works produced by Chris Briffa Architects in its first five years of existence along with the underlying process which brought them into being.

The idea therefore came about to construct a temporary studio within the main hall at St. James Cavalier in Valletta to literally house this process and the people behind it, allowing visitors to peep in and watch the team at work.

Architecture starts when you carefully put two bricks together. There it begins.(Mies van der Rohe)
We like this famous quote, but it wasn’t too influential on our choice of materials. We wanted to present the raw, often disliked, concrete brick in a new light. The brick provides holes for our audience to peep in, whilst their harsh skin provides protection to keep them out. The bricks will all be recycled back into the industry. The concealed timber supporting them is recycled formwork from one of our sites.

Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need.(Voltaire)
The idea of living and working in an art museum, under the gaze of strangers, might be regarded as exhibitionist behaviour. We tend to look at it as experimental motivation. Not so much for us (our inspiration comes from a dozen other influences, sometimes the most bizarre) but more for our viewers. We hope that our unorthodox workspace will inspire the mainstream enthusiast.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.(Leonardo da Vinci)
We do not think our work is minimal, or that it follows any particular style, but as our monolithic pavilion probably typifies, we tend to try making things look simple.

PROGRAM
Art Installation/Architectural Studio
LOCATION
St. James Cavalier, Valletta, MALTA
DESIGN
Chris Briffa, Darren Cortis, Sandro Valentino, Sarah Crockford, Matthew Casha, Justin Schembri, Francois Mangion, Marcia Calleja