Elisa Parrino experiments with mold
"In my practice, I’m actively engaged in our contemporary issues, my dedication to understand society can not be separated from my photographic works. During these years, I have used this medium to explore personal issues, as well as topics that are of global interest.
The content of my work is sourced from my life and from my personal interest.
I use my personal experiences to connect far reaching issues that can help to push forward a message.
I've been devoted to the visual arts since my childhood, photography best suits my sensitivity. Journalism has influenced my early work, and still shapes my vision when I walk the streets or travel in new locations. However, recently I have expanded my practice to experimental photography.
I found that experimenting with my photographic practice has enabled me to add a deeper level to my works. I often felt the need to break the boundaries of photographic genres. Currently I swing between various techniques and by opening my practice through organically output different approaches, thus I have enriched my visual expression.
Nonetheless in any way I decide to work, there is alway a deeper meaning and
significance that connects my pictures to my message. My ultimate goal is to push forward a conversation, to have your audience receive your work, pause and leave them with the inception of an idea.
Currently I am a writer and product developer for Lomography in Vienna."
Studies:
● B.A. Scenography at the Academy of Fine Arts in Turin (ITALY),
● Certificate Reportage at the City College of San Francisco (USA),
● Masterclass in Visual-storytelling with the ICP of NewYork in Turin at Camera Centro Italiano
per la fotografia.
Elisa's website is: www.elisaparrinorensovich.com
See more of Elisa's work on Instagram at @fotobaustelle
A/A: How were these images created?
EP: For the project with mold and food the idea came out very "organically", one day I was wondering to what extent mold could affect a negative, and while sharing my thoughts with my colleagues, we came up with the idea of trying and seeing what would come out. I was very surprised by the results, I tried 3 different films and only one survived the test. It turned out that the acidity of mold is quite strong on the emulsion and a shorter time of contact is preferable to obtain usable images.
A/A: What first attracted you to alternative processing? EP: I found experimental works to be extremely interesting and stimulating. For all of these techniques, there is this dichotomy, a dance between the photographer and the chemicals involved in it. Light painting, double exposures, film soups, or color-shifting films; I love the unpredictability of the results. On the other hand, I'm studying the elements in the sense that I'm fascinated by trying to predict the outcome, to control what comes out. I have studied fine art all my life but I'm not a good painter nor a drawer. I had this internal conflict where I wanted to be hands-on with my work but I was never satisfied with the results. So photography has always been the right medium for me. I could express my creativity by making something visually appealing. However, it is with the practical aspects of altering the photos that I have incorporated that desire for the craftsmanship of making something unique and creative. Plus I have the pleasure of fully immersing myself in the vast world of photography, there are many possibilities that the medium offers; working with light and shadows is only the beginning.
A/A: Where do you see your work going? EP: First of all, I'm a storyteller, so I strive to tell compelling stories. But I find it enriching to expand the meaning of my work with different techniques and different ways of expression. This gives me the perfect motivation to push toward more production of alternative photography, and create new bodies of work. Currently, I have a show running in Vienna, and I look forward to more shows, I love that art brings people together. Honestly, there is also a great deal of personal pleasure in what I do. To me, being in the darkroom is time well spent, and it gives me great joy, so I try to leave by, whatever makes you happy is what you should focus on.