Mallorca Seen Anew: A Photobook That Slows You Down

Between espresso, church bells and two covers: an evening in Palma

It was one of those cool October afternoons when the sun in Palma still tapped warmly on the façades while the lanes already smelled like evening. In Galería Pelaires there was no applause, only the soft rustle of turned pages. Bells rang from a narrow side street, somewhere a coffee cup clattered — and amid this everyday life a photographer presented his new photobook. Not a big spectacle, rather a gathering of people who look and care about details.

Not a postcard, but breath

Anyone expecting a collection of typical postcards will be surprised. The photographs do not seek the perfect cove; they seek edges: nets at the quay of Port d’Andratx, wind-bleached walls in mountain villages, narrow streets with graffiti, wide olive groves breathing in the shimmering evening light. Some images are so reduced that you can almost smell the salt; others capture hands — dancing over clay, wood and rope. No clichés, but small biographies of stone and signs of use.

Particularly pleasing: the images do not slip into idealization. They show workplaces, retreats, hiding places. Many shots are accompanied by short captions, written like directions for a walk — not didactic, but in the tone of a neighbor who stops briefly and tells what he has seen. That makes the book one to leaf through, to read slowly, to rethink.

Two covers, a charming quirk

A small, charming idea of the project: buyers can choose between two covers. One shows sea and horizon, the other an arrangement of colorful pottery from Pòrtol. The decision arose from a mini-survey — men leaned slightly towards the sea, women towards the ceramics — and instead of arguing, the publisher printed both. Practical, a little teasing and very Mallorcan: decisions can also be shared.

Details about the book: Hardcover, 344 pages. Price: around €87 (plus shipping); in some shops it is priced a bit higher. At the presentation there were signed copies, and many browsed until the evening sun bathed the gallery in warm light.

Why the book is good for Mallorca

Projects like this are good for the island because they change the way people look. Not with appeals, but with curiosity. If visitors learn to look more closely — at the clatter of the fishing boats, the rattle of potter's tools, or the conversation in a small cafeteria — appreciation grows for things that advertising does not need. Perhaps people will in future buy a ceramic plate from Pòrtol rather than a plastic-souvenir keychain.

The volume is not a political manifesto, but an invitation: to walk more slowly, to keep your ears open, to pay attention to small things. Such images promote slow travel and careful perception — a small resistance to the hurry of mass tourism.

Looking ahead

When the gallery is empty and only the scent of coffee lingers in the corridors, the certainty remains that Mallorca still has stories that do not fit on postcards. The photobook makes a quiet promise: there are still corners to discover and people who are attentive. And someone who happens to pass a gallery on a Tuesday evening and feels the charm of two covers may well go home with both. Practical — that way the walls have more to tell.