“I love very much to stroll around and learn about places and people.”
Ettore Moni was born in Parma, Italy in 1967.
He never studied photography: “I am self-taught, I made the study of art.”
His equipment is the optical bench 4×5. When browsing the internet for photography he enjoys stopping by on Urbanautica, The Great Leap Sideways, Aint bad magazine among other…
Artist statement
“I think the first thing is to understand what you want to express, and then look for the language that’s most ‘suitable – then if you take photos, the important thing is to do what you like best…”
Hanging Houses
The project started almost by accident. It was a meeting with a very unique character who lives on the banks of the river Po to begin with: I love very much to stroll around and learn about places and people – sometimes I stop hours talking to people I meet maybe without even taking a photography.
But then I go back to the places with a better idea. As it happened in the case of my series “Hanging Houses”.
For this project, however, the start was to go with my friend and assistant David to see a wooden building about 200 meters long, created by a man who loves the river Po and who created this place to entertain the kids, called “The Ship”.
Speaking out, he is actually not the only inhabitant of the river but on the other side lives another man, who lives all year inside of the trailer, and that’s what triggered the curiosity and I went to meet him.
All the photographs were unique because it was an ongoing investigation.
When I start a project I usually like to inform myself about the place, and try to pass the time, this project instead was a trip that lasted two months.
I have become because of the passion I have for the image, I started with fashion living in New York, then I left that kind of photography and now shooting what I like and I’m curious.
I love many kinds of art but the image remains my reference.
I collect photography books and the photographers who have influenced me are many.
I can not name a single photographer, certainly those who shoot like I do, that is, with the large format are the ones that I follow the most.”