Mercury Towers stand as an architectural impression, transcending conventional boundaries and redefining the skyline with its avant-garde design. Its presence has catalysed a metamorphosis of the surrounding landscape, breathing new life into the neighbourhood, making it a more welcoming environment for families and the community. Through a lens of innovation, Mercury Tower emerges as a beacon of progress and community cohesion. 

The exhibition features evocative black-and-white large-format analogue photography by Julian Vassallo. His series, ‘Mercury Rising’, documents the transformation of one of Malta’s most fast-paced and commodified urban areas. Vassallo’s contemplative and demanding medium contrasts with the rapid urban changes, allowing viewers to suspend preconceived notions and abstract the architectural qualities of Mercury Tower, leading to a deeper understanding of its transformative impact. 

“The series of photographs taken at different stages of the construction of Mercury Towers follows their assertion on the existing built environment by scrutinising some of their most tangible qualities, such as their engineered detailing and complex forms,” says Vassallo. 

“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.”