On World Wildlife Day, Times2 meets Abigail Farrugia, whose passion for design underpins a series of ceramic tiles in feminine colours inspired by local plant species.
The collection, Blossoms of Heritage was the culmination of a project undertaken during her studies for a degree back in 2023. It both harks back to traditional Maltese floor tiles and serves as a piece of artivism-lite: a gentle fusion of art and activism and a decidedly pretty environmental campaign to raise awareness of threatened plant species on the Maltese islands.
Blossoms of Heritage features six intricately-designed tiles (15cm x 15cm), each of which portrays a threatened plant species, a celebration of their beauty and a call to action for preservation.
While traditional Maltese tiles often have flowers wending their way across the floor in powerful primary colours, Abigail has chosen soft lilacs, gold and pinks for her contemporary variants, colours that reflect the species’ floral delicacy, hint at subtle fragrances and evoke the gentleness of early spring sun and sunset light.
As the islands bloom before the heat of the summer arrives, with these designs Abigail reminds us that, just like traditional architecture, native plant species are a fragile part of our heritage which require concerted conservation efforts.
The collection includes, in light purple, the Widnet Il-Baħar or Maltese rock-century which has been considered Malta’s national plant for over 50 years. In the Daisy family, this herbaceous perennial grows as a shrub, and flowers in late spring. The magenta-purple head on the end of each stalk can reach as high as 70 or 80cm. They are scented and consequently are pollinated by insects. In each corner, Abigail’s tile shows the succulent oval leaves, the tall stems and the mass of tubular florets, while the flower’s symmetrical cross-section takes centre stage.
The species also include the large-flowered Sawfly orchid found on garigue and steppes in Malta, Sicily, and in the neighbouring territories. Their flowers are shaped, coloured and scented like female insects, mostly wasps or bees, which attract males for the purpose of pollination.
Another design shows the endangered Woody catchfly, an indigenous species with curling purple petals that is also found in a number of locations across the Mediterranean region, including a few spots on Gozo’s western coast.
From the the cliffs along the western coast of Gozo and on the Fungus Rock (Ġebla tal-Ġeneral), the golden yellow, ‘Is-Sempreviva ta’ Għawdex’ or Maltese Everlasting, is an endemic species with effervescent flowers that was first discovered in Dwejra in 1980, while the ornamental yellow ‘Tulipan Selvaġġ’ or Southern tulip is found only in a single fallow field in Wied Qirda, near Qormi.
The final species in the collection, the Maltese cliff orache, is a primitive woody shrub first described in 1987 and dedicated to the eminent Maltese botanist Edwin Lanfranco. A pre-Ice Age relic and the only representative of the genus, it is now confined to sheer cliffs in the southwest of Malta, west of Gozo and the Fungus Rock, and is believed to have weathered the Ice Age here in Malta and on Malta alone, explains Abigail. With its understated textured flowers presented in a luscious salmon pink, it speaks of life and resilience.
Although protected by national and international law, habitat loss, human intervention and the introduction of alien species continue to threaten the survival of these endemic and subendemic species. But perhaps, with efforts like Abigail’s, and others around the world to raise our awareness of the natural treasures under our feet, outside as well as in, the Maltese cliff orache and other endangered species will survive for another ten thousand years.
Abigail Farrugia’s bespoke tiles are available, individually, mounted as a series, and as a set of 6 postcards (6 x 4 inches). Follow her on Instagram at @abigaildesignn
