From pop-up to art piece

A collaboration with Maltatype that led somewhere unexpected and ended with a single object.

What started as a pop-up with Maltatype wasn’t meant to extend beyond that moment.

The idea was to treat it differently and make something more permanent out of it. And that’s when Matthew from Maltatype introduced me to Josie Bugelli.
Bugelli is one of the few remaining signwriters and gilders on the island still practising this craft. The process is slow, precise, and difficult to replicate, which is exactly the point.

Walking into his studio gives you a sense of where this work comes from. It doesn’t feel arranged or curated. It’s more like a personal collection that has grown over time: old shop signs, fragments of lettering, pieces stacked against walls or hanging where they’ve been left.

You don’t need much explanation once you’re in there.
Seeing the process in person puts things into perspective. Gilding isn’t something that hides behind a clean finish. It’s built up by hand, layer by layer, using white gold and 18ct gold. It requires control, but it also leaves room for slight inconsistencies.

The surface isn’t perfectly even, and that’s part of what gives it presence. It reacts to light in a way that keeps changing depending on where it’s placed and how you move around it.

The Spark monogram, which started as something flat and repeatable, takes on a different role in this form. It’s still recognisable, but it no longer feels like a graphic. It holds itself more like an object.
Only two pieces came out of this. One red, one blue. They weren’t planned as editions, and there was never an intention to produce more. Just two outcomes from that initial collaboration.

The red one has already found a home, and the blue is waiting for one.
It’s set within a natural oak frame, measuring 34 by 34 centimetres for the artwork and 40 by 40 including the frame. Signed and numbered 2 of 2. Framed and ready to be lived with, whether on a wall or resting within a space.

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