Stefano David's "Atoms - A Landscape of Memory"

* Black and white film (infrared film), multi exposure in shooting,  gelatin-silver prints on fine art papers. *

"With this work the challenge is to map the “me” through the configuration of memories. Intended not only as archives and experiences, but as a vital creative strength.

  In my numerous journeys to Greece, since childhood, I have always taken mental pictures of places and experiences. I assimilated flavours, smells and sounds that sedimented and mixed in me to create unique images, related to situations that might have never happened in reality but vivid in my imagination to describe my emotions."

Stefano is on instagram at @stefano__david

ALTER/ANALOG:  How were these images created?

SD: These pictures are the result of multi exposures, most of them are double exposures. In some cases more photo shoots on the same frame without changing position. The first shot is the main exposure and the subject is in focus. The following shots are slightly off focus. In other cases two identical shots with the same subject in focus, but the first shot taken with a fully closed diaphragm and the second one fully open

ALTER/ANALOG: The texture and grain is really great.  How did you achieve that?

SD: The heart of this project was shot on marvelous film, HIE from Kodak, now “extinct”! This was a infrared film with a beautiful texture and grain, with an excellent contrast, that I purposely aggravated during the development of the film.

ALTER/ANALOG:  What inspires you?

SD: This work is about Greece, the birthplace of my Mother, and about the relationship I have with this country. Above all it’s on memory, intended not only as archives and experiences, but as a vital creative strength.

In my numerous journeys to Greece, since childhood, I have always taken mental pictures of places and experiences. I assimilated flavours, smells and sounds that sedimented and mixed in me to create unique images, related to situations that might have never happened in reality but vivid in my imagination to describe my emotions.

ALTER/ANALOG:  How long have you shot with film?

SD: I was born as an analogue photographer, only later I started using a digital camera for commercial purposes. My current research and experimentation activity is concentrated on analogue photography. My interest is not only in the final outcome, but also in the relationship of the photography with the reality; this relationship is a physical one: the light imprints a mark on the frame like “a foot print in the sand”.

In any case my main concern is uniqueness of the analogue work; in this sense the act of printing and the processing in the dark room is absolutely unique being an artisanal job. Humans are gifted with the incapability of producing the same piece with “their own hands”.