True to form, “Id-Di & id-Do” are presented as a diptych. The expression “qishom id-Di u d-Do” (They’re like the Di and the Do) is used to describe a couple of people who are always together – be they bosom buddies or lovers. Its origins can be traced back to a pair of 1870s’ gunboats called HMS Dee and HMS Don, which were built within 10 days of each other, served together, and eventually found themselves moored side by side long enough to be immortalised by the Maltese language.

Townhouses in Malta were often built in sets, most commonly pairs. This can still be discerned from observing a theme in terraced houses of a similar style. It is also common for Maltese houses to be given a name. In this case, though unmarked, they are Dee and Don – a couple in love, arm in arm, gushing over each other. They are sandwiched between bland apartment buildings, in an all too common scene on our streetscapes today.

The sweetness of the image captures the cosiness of old homes and comments on the degrading aesthetics of public spaces on the island.