Ciro Battiloro lives and works in Italy.

– Home and studio — together or apart?
I have a room in my house that is my studio, where I have my scan for negatives, my computer, my library and a big table to work on editing. I use my bathroom as a darkroom. Well, my home is my studio.

– Do you have any daily rituals?
I have no particular daily rituals, I usually start my day by reading or looking at a photo book.
Instead, I have a kind of superstitious ritual for working on my negatives. After photographing, I leave the films for about ten days in my studio next to a tiny Mary Ellen Mark print. After developing them, I scan them starting with the ones I find least interesting, I like to leave the best ones at the end. I like this waiting, it is exciting and helps me to reflect on what I have done.

– What is the first art book you remember?
Gypsies by Koudelka is the book that probably changed my life.

– What is your studio/creative soundtrack?
I really enjoy listening to music while working. I usually choose my soundtrack according to what I am doing and what project I am working on.
Lately I like to work listening to the album Good by Morphine, Souvlaki by Slowdive, Disintegration by The Cure. I also really like The Doors and Italian musicians Cccp and Pino Daniele. When I need something very meditative I listen to the Nocturnes of Chopin or Brian Eno.

– What is the favorite thing you have in your studio?
I have two favorite things: my record player and a table that my father built with his own hands, made of wood and iron. I used to work on it while editing.

– Did you always want to be an artist?
I don’t think so. I did different jobs before dedicating myself to photography, in particular I worked as a basketball coach for children and this taught me a lot about relationships. I have always looked for a way to express myself with music, words, but then I realised that photography is the best means for me.

– What does a free day look like?
I like walking on the volcano Vesuvius or spending my days free with friends, playing music and playing Burraco.

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