How did Maltadoors start? What keeps you taking pictures of doors?
MaltaDoors started on a lazy Sunday afternoon, when I was trying to organise the myriad photos in my picture gallery. I noticed that I had been increasingly taking photos of doors, and that I was posting too many on my personal Instagram feed. Being the slightly anal person I am, I opted to solve this by creating a second account. And that's how it was born.
I call myself 'The Local Tourist' - I love switching off at the weekends; I take to exploring the islands, practically once a week, specifically to take photos and hopefully make some new, interesting or quirky discovery. I genuinely enjoy exploring new 'territories' and my enthusiasm to do so has never waned or faltered.
Other than that, it's the tremendous feedback I have received since embarking on this project, that and the alarming rate at which gorgeous buildings are disappearing. I think this project has evolved, organically, and has now become documentative more than anything else. So I now also feel compelled to document as many doors and façades as possible, out of fear for their disappearance.
Why doors?
I'm not sure I can answer that actually, as there is no specific reason why I opted to focus on doors. My penchant for photography stems from a love of architecture and a fascination with abandoned or dilapidated spaces. With time, I have come to realise that the doors are an excuse, a pattern I detected in my images, a symbol. Yet being a person who loves the outdoors and going out on long walks through towns and villages in an attempt to soak in as much of a space as possible, the doors become a common denominator: they are the constant, keeping me company as I familiarise myself with spaces I would have thought I knew, but which I had never really seen.
Why do you think it has grown into a local social media phenomenon?
I'm not sure, to be perfectly honest. The only thing that comes to mind is that there is too much negativity surrounding us on a day-to-day basis. People look for a means of escape, something which restores the balance, and aesthetics can play an important role. This is also one of the reasons why I take photos of doors, why I choose to focus on details, colour or texture. I see Malta changing at an alarmingly fast rate - so many construction projects, so much development and so little regard for the safeguarding of our spaces and places.
What are some of your favourite doors?
Ah! That's a good question and one I've never been asked. I like the Modernist or post-war/mid-century builds, best. I am incredibly enamoured with Villa Carmel, for instance, and can't believe I finally got the chance to photograph Mon Nid in Wied iz-Zurrieq just a few days back. Then there's the glorious Villa Sunshine in Ta' Xbiex, the mosaic-laden façade of the Naxxar Barber, WilMarVille - the pink/green stunner on Old Railway Road, the impossibly tall green doors of the Floriana apartments just opposite the public garden, the exquisite surviving examples of the art nouveau period in Sliema... anything with a pink door, wall or accent. Yes, I have a thing about pink - and I can't explain why.
What do doors tell us about Maltese culture?
Well, for one, that Maltese people are, on the whole, incredibly house-proud. Since starting this project, I have noticed so many façades and apertures change colour, be upgraded, have their balconies restored... and yet at the same time I've also realised that there is little appreciation for some of the unique architectural styles and features. I have already observed the steady disappearance of many modernist builds, many of which should have been scheduled, at least in part. I don't think it's enough to safeguard the mediaeval, baroque or neo-classical builds: our cultural heritage extends well beyond that. I do fear that a time will come when we will look back on the second half of the 20th century and realise that there is little to remind us of the era.
Do you have any stories behind some of your pictures of doors?
I do, some of which are incredibly heart-warming, such as the elderly gentleman and his daughter sitting on their stoop in Zurrieq who, after observing me scan a number of houses, asked me whether I was going to take a photo of them, too. Needless to say, I obliged.
Or just recently, I met another elderly gentleman, sitting on a green cart outside his house in Siggiewi. He had the most gorgeous cat by his side, with whom he seemed to be having a very serious conversation. I walked up to them and the cat and Mattew (Maltese version), quickly included me in the conversation. The cat has no name, yet is Mattew's constant companion, even following him to the bank and while running errands.
Then there was this woman in Għaxaq, who appeared in her upstairs window, sceptical and suspicious of what I was doing... that is until I complimented her on her gorgeous façade, in three graded shades of mosaic. At which point, she was so touched, she actually asked me whether I would like to come inside and take photos of the interior too.
The stories never end, really. It's what makes this project so special, it's why passers-by often notice me smiling to myself. I'm never really alone, there's much company to be found.
You have recently won funding to begin a documentary? Could you tell us more?
Yes, just recently, I was awarded a research grant through the Arts Council Malta to explore the possibility of a producing a publication. This will be a story-telling project that will allow me to tell the stories about and behind the doors. I've been asked by a considerable number of people to think about producing a publication, based on the hundreds of images I've collected. However, I've always known that, should this materialise, it wouldn't be a coffee-table publication full of lavish images. I want to tell the story of Everyman. I consider myself first and foremost a writer and a curator: the documentative/photographic aspect of what I do is merely complementary to my sense of the aesthetic, to my curious nature... it was never an end in itself.
What does the future look like for MaltaDoors? What are your plans?
I haven't the foggiest idea! All I know is that I can't see the project slowing down any time soon. I find it incredibly enthralling that barely a week goes by when I'm not contacted to contribute something or other - to a magazine, an online portal or whatever. I love how the project has resonated with audiences and readers and how it has connected me to so many amazing and wonderful people - one of them being the uber talented Magda Azab, who even designed the MaltaDoors logo. A good friend of mine also helped me set up a 'store', so now a few prints and images are available online. Otherwise, what I hope for and what I look forward to is more collaboration like the one with Surface magazine (US), on the Valletta feature.