Marsa Power Station

Documentation of Marsa Power Station before its demolition

The defunct Power Plant in Malta which had been supplying energy to the archipelago for the past 60 years, can be classified as an abandoned architectural structure. A colourful collage of materials has been created due to the various structural interventions done to this power plant along the years to accommodate machinery and also working spaces for employees which in turn created an aesthetic dependant on chance rather than actual thought behind the works carried out. There is a certain aesthetic which develops over time as buildings cease to function for what they were intended to, and they turn into still places which just stand there, decaying over time. This series of images also shows how past human interactions contribute to further enhance aesthetics whilst the building ages and decays in silence. The aura within the stillness of the power plant gives the place’s decaying process a story which can best be accomplished by the photographic medium. Photography narrates a story of what this place has become to be in the most straightforward way however some images capture traces of humans which are often left open to interpretation. The strong Christian culture of the island comes through with the image of Our Lady of Sorrows prominently hung in one of the main working areas, and that of saints also found in utility cupboards. One can see that even though workmen utilise the place for work, human beings still try to create some sort of comfort zone within the work space to make it more familiar. This body of work shows how the photographer explored the interaction of the workmen with the workplace, and how the remaining traces have affected the decaying process of the power plant which resulted into a juxtaposition of colourful architectural patchwork due to the weathering of the materials used as well as the remains of human artefacts left scattered around the power plant when it was vacated.
3+

Responses

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *