President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca inaugurated the final inter-generational photo exhibition of Kopin’s project YEeP! – Youth and Elderly Explore Photography.
The project Youth and Elderly Explore Photography – YEeP! has seen young and elderly participants coming together to learn about the art of photography through a dedicated course of four sessions, facilitated by renowned Maltese photojournalist Darrin Zammit Lupi. The project is financed by the President’s Award for Creativity managed by the Malta Arts Council.
Speaking at the inauguration of the exhibition, the President said that “intergeneration connection is very important in today’s world, and in our country and region where we are experiencing an active ageing population”, adding that such initiatives “bring to life, and give energy to our elderly”. President Coleiro Preca said that intergeneration connection with young people is important as, from such a young age, we need to instill awareness in our young generation that they need to connect with all members of the society.
The President also said that such an initiative brings to light the fact that photography is art, and that in being art, it transcends borders, cultures, faiths, ethnicity, and age.
The short course provided the participants with basic photographic skills and actively involved them in several outdoor photo sessions, where the inter-generational group could put theory into practice under the supervision of Mr Zammit Lupi. Topics such as landscape photography, basic composition rules and portraits were tackled during the course, and provided the participants with the opportunity to follow—as well break—some rules.
The exhibition is the final stage of the project and offers the participants the opportunity to showcase all the hard work that they have carried out during the sessions and see it exhibited in a professional way. The exhibition will be open for one week, so visitors are welcome to enjoy it in the wonderful setting of San Anton Palace. The venue has been chosen not only because of the link with the funder, but also because it represents one of the links between Malta’s past, present and future, and therefore also provides a space for intergenerational exchanges.
The project is a follow-up of a similar initiative undertaken last year by Kopin, involving young people in a similar course.