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Carmel Borg, Raphael Vella (Eds.) Shooting Society: Documenting Contemporary Life in Malta, Midsea Books. 2012.

This publication combines a collection of 150 images by arguably some of the best photographers on the island, together with incisive, philosophical or creative texts and commentary by a large selection of local and international academics and authors. It aims to use the images, and the texts they inspire, to explore what it means to ‘be Maltese’ – an academic hot potato if there ever was one.

Some books demand cover to cover reading, where thoughts and concepts are cleverly woven into a strategic pattern and lead you to a sense of knowing a bit more about the subject than when you started out. This, happily, is certainly not one of those. In fact, editors Carmel Borg and Raphael Vella state clearly in their introduction that they would be content if readers are less confident about how to define Maltese society after their encounter with the book, than before.

The strength of this book is that it presents bite-sized facets of how Maltese society plays out and merges into a kaleidoscope of colourful visual and textual images

This resistance to tidy pigeon-hole definitions runs through the core of this publication. Is it a visual art publication? An academic exercise? Or an outlet for creative writing? It is all and none – none independently of the other, in any case.

The strength of this book is that it presents bite-sized facets of how Maltese society plays out and merges into a kaleidoscope of colourful visual and textual images that marvel, infuriate, frustrate and comfort – a bit like Malta does, when it gets under your skin.

And that is the point. A brave one to make, seeing as it doesn’t sit comfortably in the standard categories of Melitensia.

The perspective, genre and emphasis shifts with each new contribution, presented in a sequence of themes: portraits, spaces, rituals, spectacle, desire, identities, contestations, gener-ations. Each is a double interpretation – a textual reverberation on a visual image – photographer and wordsmith in synergy.

You are not a reader but a spectator – a voyeur sifting through the complex fabric of social life in Malta. Some of you may choose to loiter in the unexpected vantage points of public rituals, consider the idiosyncrasies of individual portraits, engaging in the conflicts and resistance of contested social issues or tread with care through dark and unfamiliar social spaces.

The colour and beauty is there too – but don’t expect the sunsets, blue seas and fireworks. They are there in their effects – but we happily forget them as we focus on what else goes on when we ‘do’ Maltese culture.

The protagonist of this book is the concept – its innovative juxtaposition of perspectives that are in themselves double layers – the image and the text. This, however, is grossly underplaying the impact of the contributors – a list of 80 in all, which reads like a who’s who of our contemporary academic and creative community. The editors’ choice of categories of concepts is key to the outcome of the book, as is their skill in pairing the visual and textual contributors. It works as a book that is fun to dip into, challenging to engage critically with and potentially moving when taken seriously.

Does it work on all levels? I believe it does.

There is one aspect of documenting contemporary life in Malta, however, which is blatantly missing – our language. It is there in the photographs – mute in the portraits, strident in the street scenes, whispering in the crowds.

English was clearly the right choice for this anthology of texts from local and international contributors. However, supplementing one or two of the creative pieces with their Maltese versions, would have added another facet to the project.