Mużajk is a work in progress exploring the possibilities of multilingual verse.

Written mainly in a blend of English, French, Italian, Maltese and Spanish (in no particular order), the mużajki or mosaics are an attempt to braid together the sounds and cadences of different tongues into a fluid rhythm and a coherent stream of thought.

In the first phase of the mosaic, poetic experiment quickly evolves into personal and philosophical expression, allowing the poetic I to comfortably listen and respond to voices in different languages without the pressing need to translate all thoughts, ideas and emotions into a single tongue. Among the themes explored in this phase are the pleasure and futility of living, love unrequited or fulfilled, the beauty of the Mediterranean, the desire for simplicity in an ever-increasingly complicated lifestyle, and the at once exhilarating and disorienting feeling of variety itself.

The second phase of the mosaic is more outward-looking, introducing the concept of the ‘guest’ language sown into the fabric of the five main tongues. The guest language – which is not necessarily legally recognised or widely spoken – is always related to the theme of the individual poem, often a visit to a particular village or city. Self-centred expression begins to give way to meditation on and reaction to the predicaments of particular communities or peoples facing the dangers of rampant capitalism, climate change, or the institutional violation of human rights.

The third phase of the mosaic moves more into the semiotic, with the ‘guest’ language or script being taken as a symbol for a wider, more universal value or ideal. The poems of this phase particularly examine ancient or endangered tongues, and the presence of the poetic I is replaced almost entirely by the voices of those whose language (and therefore, whose world) is slipping towards extinction.

The first series of mosaics was published in July 2007 in the Maltese poetry anthology Ħbula stirati (Tightropes). A handful of mosaics have also appeared in publications in Italy (Nuovi Argomenti), Kuwait (The Daily Star), Australia (The Chimaera) and the U.S. (The Drunken Boat). In May 2008, Antoine Cassar performed at the Biennale of Young Artists of Europe and the Mediterranean in Bari, Italy.

For more information on the mosaic project, including a small selection of poems with sound and video recordings, visit http://muzajk.info.