(Italian for "Mediterranean column") commonly known as The Luqa Monument ()John, Andrew (2010), "Call for ‘phallic’ statue to be removed for Pope’s Malta visit" , Digital Journal. is a 21st-century landmarkChetcuti, Kristina (2013), "Restored Luqa monument 'putting Malta on the map'", Times of Malta. obelisk in Luqa, Malta. The abstract art has created local and international controversy over its phallic appearance.
Location
Colonna Mediterranea is located on a roundabout, in Luqa, known to locals as the Lidl roundabout as a Lidl supermarket is nearby."Malta-Surveys", 12-30 April 2010. It is on Carmel Street, a busy road next to Luqa Airport"Malta Attraction Map" , Colonna Mediterranea. exactly on one of the entries of the town of Luqa."'Phallic' Art Sparks Fight Ahead Of Pope's Visit To Malta (PHOTOS)", The Huffington Post, 2010.
History
The monument was designed by Maltese artist Paul Vella Critien. It was built in 2006 and was described by the artist as a 3D"Removal of monument grabs international headlines", Malta Media Online, 2010. "Egyptian symbol",Borg Cardona, Ben (2010), "Cars pass by Colonna Mediterranea, a sculpture by Malta artist Paul Vella Critien", abc.net.au. taking the form of an abstract art representing the colors of the Mediterranean.Zammit Lupi, Darren (2010), "The Colonna Mediterranea monument is seen outside Malta International Airport in Luqa, outside Valletta" , Town hall.
Despite its description of a modern Egyptian obelisk,Squires, Nick (2010), "Vulgar' phallic sculpture should be pulled down for Pope's Malta visit, mayor says", The Daily Telegraph. the description is far-off from the notable description that is given. The monument cannot be said to represent a phallus, as according to the artist it is not,"'Phallic' art sparks row ahead of Pope's Malta visit", BBC, 2010.Peregin Christian (2010), "'Don't let Pope Benedict see monument' - Luqa council", Times of Malta. but remains well known as a "phallic monument". It has been described as a large penis (male sexual organ).Phillips, Tom (2010), "Mayor calls for removal of giant Pope-worrying penis", Metro. The monument has been described as "vulgar", "obscene" and "offensive". The Luqa mayor, John Schembri, has called for its removal. During the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Malta, people including the Luqa local Council and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Malta called for its removal."Penis sculpture in Malta must go before Pope's visit, says mayor" , news.com.au, 2010. A survey conducted by the Malta-Surveys found that most of those who participated wanted the monument to stay. The monument received extensive coverage by the BBC, The Daily Telegraph,Squires, Nick (2010), "'Vulgar' phallic sculpture should be pulled down for Pope's Malta visit, mayor says", The Daily Telegraph. The Huffington Post, ABC News, USA Today, Times of Malta, Malta Today, The Malta Independent and other local and international media."Luqa's monument makes international headlines", Times of Malta, 2010.Stanglin Douglas (2010), "Maltese town demands removal of 'phallic' monument before pope's visit", One Dead Line.
The 10 feet monument was suggested to be covered with plastic similarly to a condom in context of the Catholic Church's opposition to the use of.Duke, Barry (2010), "Row erupts in Malta over a colourful monument deemed offensive to the Pope" , The Free Thinker. Subsequently, the monument has been vandalized and then restored. The vandalism involved the damaging of the upper part of the monument. Hence to its phallic appearance the vandalism was described as having had a medical procedure to be circumcised."Azzopardi, Andrew" , 2013. The Government of Malta has planted large palm trees next to it, probably to conceal it.Chetcuti, Kristina (2013), "Restored Luqa monument ‘putting Malta on the map’" Times of Malta. These trees were later trimmed, during the restoration project after the vandalism, that revealed the monument again.Chetcuti Kristina (2013), "Restored Luqa monument putting Malta on the map", Times of Malta.
The maintenance and decisions concerning the monument do not fall under the Luqa Local council but the Ministry of Transport (Government of Malta)."Updated: Luqa's best known monument vandalised", Times of Malta, 2010. The monument was on legal notice to be removed in the same year when erected, in 2006, as it does not have a permission from the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) but until present it still stands in its place, and probably is there to stay."MP wants Luqa 'so-called' monument removed as soon as possible", The Malta Independent, 2015. The monument is so widely spoken about that Vodafone Malta made use of its notability for an advertisement.Paul Vella Critien (2010), "Vodafone selects Colonna Mediterranea for summer promotion"Peregin Christian (2010), "Luqa monument face of new promotional campaign", Times of Malta. Joe Demicoli, a well established comical singer and actor, has written a song as well with a video dedicated to the monument."Distasteful PN joke", Malta Today, 2010. It is to note that phallic symbols are common in Maltese heritage.Sagina, Claudia (2015), "The Archeology of Malta", Cambridge University Press, , p. 104.
Other monuments Previous to Colonna Mediterranea Paul Vella Critien created another similar monument in San Gwann namely the Kolonna Eterna in 2003."New Monument", Times of Malta, 2003. Critien has eventually inaugurated another monument at Naxxar Higher Secondary School in 2015."Paul Vella Critien", 2015 The artist has also created similar monuments elsewhere in the world, for example in Italy, Germany and Australia."Paul Vella Critien".
Further reading Xarabank coverage of monument
See also Kolonna Eterna Phallic architecture Phallus Landmarks Egyptian obelisk
References