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Local illustrator creates a touching video about moving to London & we have all the feels
We’re not crying, you’re crying.

Jillian Mallia

This is the sweetest thing we’ve seen all day! Maltese illustrator, Victoria Gatt, created a touching animated video about her move to the UK to study Illustration and Visual Media at University of the Arts London (UAL) – quite the relatable subject.

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One thing she misses dearly is the sun, and who wouldn’t? She misses it so much that she created this video as part of a Uni credit which really hit home. We spoke to Victoria who told us all about the makings of the touching clip.

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“Since it’s mostly animation, it involved a lot of repetition to make sure that each frame blends into each other, and timing to make sure that the music fits the mood of the work,” she reveals. “We were asked to create a narrative based on our experiences with migration for my illustration course at Uni, and since moving from Malta to London, I have learnt a lot about what makes me Maltese.”

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“Although the relationship I have with Malta is complicated, I could have never imagined that the absence of the sun would affect me as much as it does,” she admits. I was finding it difficult to communicate to people what I was feeling like so I tried to make something that would portray the same kind of bittersweet feeling I feel on most days. The feeling of waking up in the city you’ve always dreamt of living in and being able to do what you love, but at the same time, feeling an absence that can’t really be explained.”

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The video starts off with the sentence: “Minkejja r-relazzjoni kumplikata bejni u pajjizi, in-nuqqas ta’ xemx huwa nuqqas kbir li nhoss kuljum” which translates to “Although the relationship I have with my country is a complicated one, the absence of the sun is an absence I feel every day.”

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And as if that wasn’t enough of a tear-jerker, the video proceeds to play a cover of the popular song by The Tramps – yup, you guessed it – ‘Xemx.’ But not just any cover, oh no. A ukulele cover and we’re living for it.

Check it out:

14th January 2020


Jillian Mallia
Written by
Jillian Mallia
A book lover, writer and globetrotter who loves exploring new places and the local gems that the Maltese Islands have to offer. An avid foodie and arts fanatic, Jillian searches the island and beyond for the perfect settings to write about.

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