Hagar Qim and Mneidra, Two Stone Age Temples in Malta

I lived in Malta as a teenager, off and on returning to my home there between semesters. My father was an American Foreign Service officer who served there in the 60's and retired there for 10 more years.

My parents were fascinated by the neolithic ruins and had done extensive work in researching ancient sites and artifacts, so I knew the temples of Hagar Qim and Mneidra and others well. In 1974, I returned there for visit with Andrika Donovan, and we took her Sony AV3400 Portapak Videocorder.

I wanted to capture the mystical power of these 5500 year old structures - said to be the oldest freestanding in the world - and allow the viewer to imagine the role they played as the stage for rituals that helped to shape civilazation's spiritual outlook.

Andie and I shot the 30 minute tape, which I cut on one of the first edit systems ever, a pair of Sony VO2850's and the first ever controller RM400. Finally video cassettes! (but LARGE!) Credits: The VO by Mass Art colleague Don Burgy, Bob Rutman did the deep-vocal chant, Mark Styles made the wind on his Arp 2600 - I did the edit at Sunlife of Canada and the mix at the Mass College of Art studio I was faculty and manager of then. The Hagar Qim and Mneidra video is copyright 1976, Bob Lewis