As part of the our Reading the Image class, we visited a photographic exhibition exhibition ‘Spaces in Suspension’ by Therese Debono and Joseph P Smith at Spazju Kreattiv.
We spoke to Mr Joseph P Smith and asked why they chose the Verdala Hotel over many other possibilities. He mentioned that initially, they intended to shoot at a number of other abandoned buildings and locations, but the character and possibilities at the Verdala Hotel made them focus solely on it. He continued to explain how this hotel, since it was still privately owned and had restricted access, was kept in a state of abandonment yet the artifacts left in it such as a few armchairs, dining chairs, telephones, tableware, room keys, staff punch cards; all left something interesting to show how the once full of life attraction, is now left still… waiting for life.
The overall feeling of the exhibition was cold & nostalgic. Showing how interesting yet sad the last few moments of the Verdala Hotel were, which has since been demolished. I personally visited quite a few abandoned places and hotels, but having such images captured and displayed near each other is quite a different feeling. Each image shows a different area and has a story to tell, all as if they were frozen in time.
An image that I liked was actually a set of images of ex staff members at the hotel itself. These images show how both the place and the veteran staff aged differently… but can still connect and relate.
