"The Domestic Camera" at KBr Barcelona Through the Eyes of Mario Aparicio

A few months ago, we organized an Open Call around an exhibition at the Spanish KBr Barcelona Photo Center, part of FundaciónMAPFRE Cultura. Drawing inspiration from the KBr photo exhibition The domestic camera on amateur photographic culture in Catalonia between 1880 and 1936, we invited the photographers to rediscover the more amateur side of analogue photography and to document the most special moments of their daily life.

Each of the five photographers selected developed their own special project on films and cameras provided by Lomography. Today we dive into the "domestic project" by Mario Aparicio, shot with La Sardina on Color Negative 400 35 mm.

Hi Mario, welcome to our magazine! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hi, I'm Mario, I was born in a very small mountain village, Enguera, but now I've been living in Valencia for some years, for work. I'm an assistant cameraman for commercials and cinema. I'm 27 years old, but I didn't really discover that I liked the audiovisual sector until I was 22. I was working in a bar for many years until I could finally dedicate myself to this 100%.

How did you start your journey in the world of photography? When did film photography start to be part of it?

It began to catch my attention since I was very young, when my grandmother would show me old photos of her family and friends. They were her memories and she treasured them. That's when I understood how important photographs were. But I didn't start taking pictures until I was 22, because I didn't have the money for a camera. When I started taking photos, I took them of my surroundings, of the moments that I thought were beautiful and that I wanted to remember.

Was this your first time participating in this kind of Open Call? Why did you apply?

Yes, it's my first time. I've been following Lomography for a while, but I've never signed up for anything. I take photos of moments in my life but I don't usually share them or upload them to networks. I saw the publication of this contest and I passed it on to a friend so she could sign up. In the end I signed up too because she told me to.

Can you tell us about the idea behind your project?

I wanted to dedicate it to my grandmother, to spend a whole day with her at the care center and the weekend at home. To see the daily life of her day-to-day. There are also some photos of a small party in my village where they prepare a typical dish, the gachamiga. But my favorite pictures are the ones where she is at home, with her saints. Since I was a child I remember her with pictures of saints.

In which way were you inspired by the exhibition "La Cámara Doméstica" at KBr?

At the exhibition they showcased the naturalness of people, their daily life, a lot of customs, there are photographs of parties, friends, family, trips, etc. I wanted to show a day with my grandmother, what she does in the residence and what she does at home. I wanted to photograph what we don't see because sometimes we are not there.

Which camera and film did you use? What features did you enjoy most?

I used La Sardina with a Color Negative 400 ISO 35 mm film. I really liked the camera. I liked the angular lens it has. The bad thing is that in the first photos, those of the residence, I kept the Bulb mode on and it made me very angry, since I did not realize it and the photos did not come out well. So I have a thorn in my side for those photos that didn't turn out well. But I love the other photos. I will take a very good memory for having participated in this contest, these photos of my grandmother will stay with me forever.

Do you have any interesting projects or collaborations planned?

Well, doing this project has made me reconnect with photography and has made me want to keep shooting again. I want to go back to taking pictures of special moments or things that we don't usually see in our daily lives. I would like to do a photography project about what is behind a bar, from the moment the kitchen opens until it closes, its food, its people.

Check out KBr current exhibitions and don't forget to follow Mario Instagram!

written by ludovicazen on 2024-09-18 #gear #culture #people #collaboration #spain #la-sardina #lomography-color-negative-iso-400 #open-call #kbr-barcelona