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1. What's been the most defining moment in your career so far? One of the most defining moments in my career was setting up my own working darkroom in Malta. It gave me a space where I could slow down, work with film, and enjoy the process of making photographs and prints. Developing your own photographs feels like magic. My solo exhibition has also been a very special moment. Exhibiting my work ensures the pho- tographs don't remain unseen or stored away. Being able to showcase images in a gallery space and share them with others has been very rewarding. Lostography: A Passage Through Time has been particularly meaningful because it brings together ideas that have always been important to me: memory, time, and the things we choose to hold onto. 2. As an artist, how do you navigate the world and speed of social media? I actually love social media. Having lived in dif- ferent countries away from family and friends, it has been a great way to stay connected and to share my work. It is also a way of sharing everyday life and experiences with people who are far away. Social media has allowed me to connect with other artists and photographers around the world, which I really value. 3. Do you consider artificial intelligence a threat to your career, or an opportunity? Photography has changed with technology, from film to digital, and AI is another step in that journey. I think it can be a useful tool, but what interests me most is the human experience behind an image: the places we have been, the people we have met, and the moments we have witnessed. As images become easier to create, I think there will be an even greater appreciation for photographs that come from real experience. For me, photography is about the skills learned from early analogue practices, composition, intent, observation, connection, and storytell- ing. Those things will always matter. 4. How do you stay motivated and inspired, especially during tough times or when the work feels hard? Creativity is a wonderful outlet when life gets hard. Trying to find beauty or meaning when the world feels ugly can be a form of therapy. Stopping to appreciate what is often over- looked can be grounding. Inspiration often comes from tough moments. Photography becomes a way of expressing feelings, like any other art form, and helps me explore themes such as time, loss, memory, sleep, and emotions that do not always have answers. It is a way of expressing and under- standing. 5. How do you balance your creative instincts with the expectations of your audience or collabo- rators? I think it is important to stay true to yourself while also being open to other people's ideas and per- spectives. Photography is a conversation. I create the image, but everyone who views it brings their own experiences and memories to it. 6. How do you approach a new project? Do you have a specific process or routine you follow? Most projects begin with curiosity. Something catches my attention, whether it is a place, a story, a feeling, or a detail, and I want to explore it further. I do not always know where a project will take me, and I like allowing unexpected moments to become part of the process. The editing stage, or the physical developing in the darkroom, is also very important because it holds just as much creative input as capturing the image. 7. Can you let us in on some future projects or works? Following Lostography: A Passage Through Time exhibition, I would like to explore more site-specific photography and commissioned projects. I am interested in working with places that have their own identity and stories, whether that is a heritage building, a cultural space, a hotel, a restaurant, or another establishment. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 AUGUST 2026 Books Poetry opens a space where emotions can be voiced and silence safeguarded ARTS • TV • WHAT'S ON BY LAURA CALLEJA suggestions by email lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt The Q & A KATHRYN BALDACCHINO 7 questions for... Extra round Who are your biggest influences, and how have they shaped your work? My influences come from photogra- phers I admire, the places I have lived, and the environments I spend time in. I pay attention to how places feel and how time changes them, and that perspective has shaped my work. The things I notice in everyday life, such as light, atmosphere, and the sense a place carries and influence how I photograph. Kathryn Baldacchino works under the name Lostography, using it as an umbrella for all the mediums through which she explores photography. Her practice began in London, where she studied analogue film and developed a strong connection to the physical process of making images — developing film by hand, shaping light through burning and dodging, and creating prints that are unique to each moment in the darkroom. She later built her own darkroom in Malta, continuing to refine her analogue approach while also recognising the viability of digital photography within her wider practice. She now lives and works in northern Italy Culture Applications open for The Write Note 2026 songwriting programme PAGE 2 PAGE 3 MaltaToday is supported by Arts Council Malta