issue #08: starring objects
The Travel Diary of Claudia Zalla, fashion and design photographer is the cover story of Issue #08, entitled: Starring objects. Welcome to Caleido, an inspirational diary, that narrates many stories: about creative people, trends, travels, objects. / Read the Editor’s letter here
Diary of: @claudiazalla
1. What a photographer takes with his/her shots is a mental journey… towards a place, a person or an object. Do you remember a particular object, or a series of objects, that you decided to photograph? What is the memory attached to this shot? If you were to give this shot a title, what would it be?
This question brings me back to a project I am very attached to, carried out during the pandemic. It all started in the first days of the first quarantine, in spring 2020, when, forced into that condition of isolation, I began this ‘visual diary’. It consists of 50 photographs that tell the story of three moments of everyday life through three objects, accompanied by a textual part. The initial intention was to “build” a personal diary, certain and aware that what we were experiencing was so absurd that it deserved to be remembered in detail. I can define this project as a “real” diary because it depicts exactly what I did and the activities of those days, even very simple ones, such as cooking an omelette, working out, or working on the computer. Scenes of daily life told through the objects I found at home, also because at that time you couldn’t buy anything that wasn’t a primary good. I tried to create these compositions, these totems, giving them balance and aesthetic strength. The title I have given this project is Homework.
2. Let’s think about a trip you take in your heart, and imagine that you have to send a postcard showcasing an object (rather than a typical landscape). What journey would that be? What object would be printed on the postcard? Why is that the object?
Actually, speaking of Homework, I would like to focus on one of the first shots I took, inspired by a small object I found in the drawer while tidying up. It was a ferry ticket for the route between Punta Chiappa and Camogli, in Liguria, and finding it by chance at that moment brought to mind the possibility of travelling, a possibility that at that time was not available to us. This ticket, therefore, made me escape with my mind and made me think about how important it is to visit new places and always find new visual stimuli, which are fundamental for my work.
3. Who would you send it to? What message would you write?
I think I would send the photo/postcard of this object to myself and also attach a small reminder of the thought I have treasured, which is: don’t postpone what makes you feel good, learn to listen to your needs and requirements and appreciate the moments when you have the chance to take time for yourself.
other contents of this issue:
