The poetic image is a sudden salience on the surface of the psyche

Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space

‘Mercury rising’ documents the transformation of one of the most fast-paced and commodified urban areas of Malta through the medium of black and white large-format analogue photography, which is by nature contemplative and exigent. This contrast between recording method and recorded phenomenon creates an opportunity for suspension of all preconceived notions about the buildings and for abstraction of their architectural qualities, leading to a deeper understanding of the change that they bring about.

The series of photographs taken at different stages of the construction of Mercury Towers, by Zaha Hadid Architects, follows their assertion on the existing built environment by scrutinizing some of their most tangible qualities, such as their engineered detailing and complex forms.

As a result of the process, unexpected and personal images emerge, constantly surpassing their origins similarly to the ‘authentically poetic image’ theorised by G. Bachelard, emerging from a form of difficult transcendence of knowledge.