Chucky Bartolo
Drag Queen
Chucky is a man with a loud opinion and an even louder laugh. Always ready to grab a drink and talk about everything from drag to dragons, Chucky enjoys late-night conversations, early-morning video games and not feeling uncomfortable when writing about himself in the third person.
A graduated architect who has yet to use his degree, Chucky is patient zero when it comes to next-project syndrome. As you read this, he already cannot wait to get excited, caffeine-fueled and inevitably burnt out over the next big, exciting idea that comes his way.
Ibtisam Sadegh
Researcher
Ibtisam is a PhD researcher in the ERC project "Problematizing ‘Muslim Marriages’: Ambiguities and Contestations" hosted at the University of Amsterdam. She is currently writing an ethnographic dissertation on the celebration and problematization of interfaith couples in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. In 2013, she obtained a Doctor of laws (LL.D.) at the University of Malta.
For her law thesis, she conducted a comparative research between the Ecclesiastical Tribunals in Malta and Sharia Councils, Muslim Arbitration Tribunal and the Beth Din in England and Wales. Her research interests include marriages involving Muslims, religious identities, minority communities and intersecting normativities.
Konrad Buhagiar
Architect
Konrad is an executive director and founding partner of AP Valletta. He has been responsible for numerous restoration and rehabilitation works in historic buildings and urban sites. He has lectured at the University of Malta and, among the others, at the Canterbury University College of Creative Arts, U.K., and at the New York University, U.S.A.. He published numerous historical and academic articles.
Konrad has been the Chairman of both the Heritage Advisory Committee and the Valletta Rehabilitation Committee. Konrad is also the chief editor behind AP’s ‘A Printed Thing’ and ‘Founding Myths of Architecture’ publications.
Marc Casolani
Photographer
Influenced by his colleagues while working on the set production of ‘Munich’, and then followed by a comical yet decisive catch up with two old friends, Marc started exploring our beautiful planet at the age of 19. He travelled around South America for 6 months and the things they experienced from this backpacking adventure were physically, spiritually and visually life changing. Marc has been travelling since then and has been lucky enough to have explored parts of Central & South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. He has documented all his travels through his photography.
Through his photography, Marc wishes to share his experiences of everyday life - not only where he comes from but also where he has lived as a nomad for months on end; from scenic wonders to the portraits of a person whose face can tell the story of a hundred words, complemented by the variety of wildlife that is found here on Earth.
Matthew Bartolo
Sexologist
Matthew is a counsellor specialising in Sex and Relationships. He is the founder of Willingness Malta: a multi-disciplinary team working together to offer professional services related to Family, Sex, and Health.
Matthew has presented in both international and national conferences. He has taught and delivered talks to diverse professional organisations, as far away as Guatemala, about the importance and manner of dealing with sex and sexuality with clients. Having worked with a lot of different people, he has learnt a lot about life’s challenges and how different people cope with them.
His professional, yet informal way of approaching and discussing the subject makes it easy for his audience to discuss the topic.