Mariano Doronzo

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The first time I ended up in Derby was by mistake. It was September 2014 and I had just moved to Nottingham because I wanted to get onto a MSc course in Manufacturing Engineering at The University of Nottingham.  To apply I jumped on the first bus that was heading towards the Student Recruitment Enquiries Centre. I fell asleep on the bus – it was Monday morning – and at the last stop the bus conductor came to wake me up. The last stop was Derby Bus Station. It was a beautiful sunny morning but I did not have time to stay  longer than for a quick coffee as I still had a future to apply for. Five minutes later, I jumped back on the same bus and when we were about to approach the University campus, the driver did his bit to make sure I did not miss my stop again. This was my only connection with Derby until the start of this year. Probably there is an omen in this story because I never got to attend that course - but that is a different story. Last December, I applied for something different: an artistic residency in Derby at the Artcore Gallery with a quite ambitious project. I thought it was something I had to try but I never thought I was going to be selected – probably this is why I made it so ambitious. Luckily I was wrong and so had to make my second appearance in Derby on

Where are you based? I have been based in Nottingham since 2014. How did your artwork start out? My artwork became very intensive and more than a passion when a friend of mine gave me an old Praktica film camera as a present. Since then I have been documenting the street life in Nottingham and my travels across Europe.     How do you get ideas for each piece of photography? It depends on the project I am working on. Usually, it is the story behind a person or a specific place, but sometimes it can also be something strictly visual like a particular light condition. How do you go about transforming an idea like that into a photograph? Every time is different. I guess I try to find a link or a connection between what I am trying to say and the image itself. How has your photography evolved over the years? I would say I am studying and working to make my photography more essential and powerful at the same time. What does your photography aim to say to your audience? My photography aims to tell a story or to provoke an emotion. What is the most challenging about your work? Probably meeting people and creating an intimate relation within a few minutes. It is incredible how deep you can go into someone’s life if they