As a young girl, Anna had a fascination with the way buildings were designed and built. Now, as a talented narrative designer, Anna Horvath, our artist in residence throughout July, August and September, helps companies to successfully design and build exhibition stands that literally stand out from the crowd.
Born and raised in Hungary, the young Anna always knew that she would be involved in design and the arts. “As a child, I was absolutely obsessed with Lego, I am still obsessed with Lego” mused Anna when speaking about her past. “I always had a fascination with buildings, how they were designed and built, I knew that I wanted to be a designer”.
After studying to become an architect back in Hungary, Anna moved to London to successfully complete an MA in Narrative Environments from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.
Her graduation was the beginning of a successful journey which led her to work on some exciting large-scale projects in London, Berlin, Lisbon, Budapest, and of course, Malta.
Anna’s impressive portfolio of work includes the Jewish Museum in Berlin, a pop-up store for Hermès’ Petit H collection in Lisbon, and her first furniture collection that was launched during the Paris Design Week.
Now based in Malta, Anna has created her own brand AHA Objects, focusing on furniture design. “My designs aim to be more than pure functional objects, there is often a hidden social, cultural, environmental or political commentary embedded”
Through AHA, Anna works with local manufacturers to design unique furniture collections for the local and international markets.
Anna’s latest project, SORĠI, focuses on the overdevelopment of Malta and the loss of heritage sustained over the past few years of intense construction work all over the island. SORĠI is helping to raise awareness on the urgent need for alternatives to speculative developments disrespectful of their contexts and Maltese heritage while seeking to offer sustainable solutions for the recycling of the increasing amounts of construction waste accumulating across the Maltese Islands.
“Construction waste is a big issue here in Malta, but sea plastic is also a major issue, I am passionate about raising awareness to find a better way of using and recycling this waste to create something worthwhile while helping the environment” commented Anna.
In Maltese, the word ‘Sorġi’ is derived from the Maltese verb ‘Sorga’, which means an anchoring ship or a person about to feel tired and would like to sit down. This perfectly encapsulates what Anna is trying to achieve through her work. Anna’s unique benches can be spotted all over the island, where passersby may rest and enjoy the view Anna has chosen to highlight through the careful placement of her work.
As our artist in residence throughout July, August and September, Anna’s Sorġi collection of outdoor furniture has been proudly displayed at The Phoenicia Malta.
