In the last decade or so, social media has taken on a more prominent role in conversations about heritage and heritage preservation, both internationally and locally.

An Instameet being held on Saturday will highlight some of Ħamrun’s facades, niches, signage and other quirky spaces.

Facebook and Instagram, in particular, have increasingly highlighted fading aspects of our national identity and criticised attempts at destroying both natural and built environments. Few people are left untouched by the wave of nostalgia created by such platforms.

One of the Instagram accounts that consistently pulls at our heartstrings is MaltaDoors, an online gallery documenting the quirkiness of Malta’s doorways, entrances and signage, among others.

The project’s curator, Lisa Gwen Baldacchino, believes social media is helping to raise awareness and give people a voice, even if that is limited to their online social circle.

“If MaltaDoors is anything to go by, I can say that followers of the account have learnt to or are learning to really look at and appreciate Maltese architecture, in its many facets,” Ms Baldacchino, an arts and culture manager by profession, said.

The most at risk, in her opinion, are modernist builds and townhouses that have been derelict or were abandoned for years.

“There seems to be little to no regard to safeguard modernist architecture − it doesn’t fall under ‘our’ definition of what constitutes cultural heritage,” she notes.

Ms Baldacchino is saddened by the fact that whole buildings in familiar roads are being knocked down to be replaced by apartment blocks. Abandoned spaces pose a bigger problem.

“The longer builds are neglected, the more problematic they become to then renovate – which could also be an unattractive quality and a detriment in terms of potential buyers or future home owners,” she points out.

But she is angered most by the “sheer insensitivity and general lack of taste”. “Some builds are given horrible extensions which are in no way in keeping with the architectural fabric within that locality,” she said.

“There is a lack of contemporary aesthetic and sensitivity where spatial dynamics/distribution is concerned. There is also very little attention/concern for public space, and green space.”

MaltaDoors was born by chance three years ago. While organising her many snaps, Ms Baldacchino realised her propensity for urban landscapes, apertures, facades, capturing the light and the way it exalted and defined architectural elements.

“The ‘purpose’ I believe has changed, now, but there was no vision when it started, other than a love for taking photos and playing local tourist,” she admits.

Since then, the project has consistently received positive feedback from followers around the world, media houses, print magazines and travel platforms.

Among her photographic collaborations, Ms Baldacchino mentions those with Surface Mag (the US), The Simple Things (UK) and a recent one with Hangar Agency, with whom she worked on a project for Malta International Airport to create artwork for the hoarding covering a new project.

An upcoming collaboration she is excited about is with Andrew Farrugia and Craig Macdonald, the team behind Te fit-Tazza, who create modern designs portraying Maltese buildings and landscapes.

“I love them, their work and what they stand for. When they approached me to create a limited series, based on my images, it was an easy and obvious yes,” she enthused.

In a bid to raise more awareness, Ms Baldacchino is holding an Instameet in Ħamrun on Saturday.

Instameets are basically organised photowalks by Instagrammers for Instagrammers.

Ms Baldacchino has planned a trajectory, with specific spots in mind, where she will highlight certain aspects of the locality and then everyone is free to take photos of whatever they like, be it themselves or of the environment.

This is the third such event Ms Baldacchino is organising. Participants, who often include non-Maltese residents, are encouraged to really look at and appreciate a place or space which they would have probably overlooked.

“We think we know many localities and yet we don’t really explore them – most of us don’t really venture into the local bars, or każini, we don’t stop to look at the monuments, the devotional niches, the street vendors, the facades and residential builds. We might know the square, we might know a few ‘landmarks’ but how well do we know the outskirts, the alleys?” she asks.

But why Ħamrun? Ms Baldacchino moved to the locality five years ago and she admits she is in love with the place.

“It reminds me of my childhood. To me the shops on the main road held the same fascination as Valletta did. For some reason, Ħamrun lost its lustre a few decades ago but it’s still incredibly charming and quirky,” she said. “There’s an authenticity there, which I don’t find present or which is not as immediately palpable elsewhere. The signage and the old shopfronts are especially worthy of note.”

Saturday's Instameet will be held between 2.30pm and 6pm. For more information, visit the MaltaDoors Facebook event.