Filigree may not be indigenous to the Maltese islands, but over the years, it has become part and parcel of local culture.

Its origins are not clear; Italy pioneered the craft according to historical documents, but the earliest examples were found in Mesopotamia – an ancient region that now forms part of Iraq, Kuwait and Syria.

Master filigree maker Kevin Attard was first introduced to filigree through a family friend 36 years back, at a time when he was still working as a soldier: “I was a solider for a couple of years but filigree was always part of my life,” he says. He was instantly enamoured with it, and was so determined to learn the craft that he achieved the trade in just two years – an astonishing feat considering how much time and practise goes into it!

Kevin started off by creating a collection of trays which, by his own admission, proved to be quite popular: “At the time there were only two models of trays in all the shops across Malta and Gozo,” he explained, adding that he built a collection of a dozen different trays. “I managed to sell them very well because it was something innovative at the time,” he explains.

Innovation is something he holds dear, and his latest pursuits prove that. The filigree master has a big exhibition coming up this August, which will see him take over four rooms at the Society of Arts in Valletta. “We’re going to showcase some really contemporary stuff,” he teases, adding that he will undertake a highly collaborative approach to merge filigree with fine art.

There is a moment of suspense before Kevin reveals some of the items which will be exhibited, amongst which are fashion items and functional sex toys. This is followed up by another confession: “We already did some work around [sex toys] but now we are going to do a proper exhibition.”

Kevin explains that while the sex toy business is a highly lucrative one, creating toys out of filigree and ensuring they function as they should is far from an easy task. “I’m doing this to challenge myself,” Kevin concludes. “Filigree is not just butterflies and Maltese crosses… its potentials are endless,” he stresses, adding that you can introduce it to whatever you want, as long as you work really hard to make it happen. 

Some questions arise: how exactly does one make a filigree object function like a sex toy? Are they safe to use? How are they to be preserved? Queries keep piling up, but it seems that we'll have to wait till summer to find out the answers!

Keep your August free, the exhibition is sure to blow off the roof!