Discover Sara Reverberi at the Brick Lane Gallery

The Upcoming’s own Sara Reverberi holds her first photography exhibition in partnership with fashion designer Mariana Cutino Moguel. The exhibit, titled Journey, is an exploration into the parallel worlds of fashion and design. Focusing on the meeting point of photography and design, the exhibit, on display at the Brick Lane Gallery until 9^th April, is worth a trip to check out. This venture, described by Reverberi as a spontaneous artistic journey, highlights the work of both the photographer and the designer.

The Upcoming caught up with Sara on the opening day of the exhibit to ask her a bit about herself and a bit about the exhibit. 

Tell me about yourself, when did you arrive in London? 

I’m from Reggio Emilia, Italy. I came to London four years ago to study psychology and I just fell in love with the city. I still am in love with it – I miss London when I’m away and I think that’s when you decide “I want to live here”.

How did you become a photographer? 

Photography has been part of my life since I was young. I think it’s my way to face the time passing by, because I’m a really nostalgic person. I got my first camera from my dad and since then I haven’t stopped taking photos. It’s my way to tell stories, to know people. I love carrying my camera with me; I feel less lonely. 

You are a freelance photographer for a number of different fashion magazines. Can you tell me a bit about the work that you do? 

Yes, I’m a freelancer and I’m collaborating with different magazines covering fashion and music events. I’ve just covered the fashion week here in London and in a few weeks I’m going to have my first editorial. In the meantime, I’m working on different personal projects.

Why fashion photography? Do you work with other forms of photography as well?

For me photography is about telling stories; it’s about looking at people and trying to know them.  That’s why I work with many different forms, because I believe there is always a story to tell, something to see. I just shoot at what inspires me at the moment. I use different cameras, film or digital – to me the difference is in what I am trying to tell, which kind of story and which mood. Fashion has always been my great passion and I approach it as a reportage with a creative touch. There is something magical about it. It’s like when you were young and you were at the Luna Park, excited and overwhelmed at the same time by the colours, the music, the smell, the atmosphere. Fashion is a curious world populated by curious people and it just got me, totally. 

What past experiences have you had in your career that have influenced where you are today? 

I think every experience is important and has a great influence on us. I strongly believe that what influences you most is something unconscious, something that is inside you and plays a crucial role in your way to see things. When I was young, I spent ages looking at my family’s old pictures and sometimes I found myself taking a photo with the same composition I saw there. I found a lot of inspirations every day, around me, during my travels, watching a movie, listening to music, dreaming. 

How did this exhibition come about? 

It was quite spontaneous. I was trying to find a way to tell a different story with my fashion shoots. Something new, different; something related to the faces I saw at the fashion week. So I spoke with Mariana, the designer, and we just started thinking together, speaking the same language. And it happened just like that in the most spontaneous way you can imagine. That’s why we chose the name “Journey” because it has been a meeting point between photography and design. 

Why are you partnering with Mariana? 

Because she is not just an amazing designer, but she is also one of the most inspiring and honest women I know, and above all, because I like her way of seeing things.  

Why this particular exhibit? Does the focus of the exhibit – fashion from two different aspects of photography and design – hold personal importance for you?

Yes. This is our way to see fashion, to play with it. It’s a way to surround the faces in my photographs with a magical reality made of different colours and patterns. Again it’s a story, a journey, a playground.  

The exhibit, entitled “Journey”, is a meeting point of fashion and photography. How did you and Mariana combine your two different ideas, expertise, and visions of the exhibit together?

We didn’t really have to combine different ideas, we just shared the same vision and everything came together spontaneously and this is what I love most about this project. 

When did you start working on the exhibit? How long did it take for things to come together and be ready for the opening night? 

We started speaking about the project a while ago, then we started working on it, but we didn’t have a proper plan or any kind of idea about “what to do next”. We didn’t have a place to exhibit until last week when suddenly we found this gallery and we took the chance. I think we were lucky. 

What was the most enjoyable part about this entire process for you? 

Working with a person I greatly admire and being able to show our story to people. 

And finally, are you hoping to present more exhibitions of your work in the future?

Yes. We’re planning to present our project around and to find more places to exhibit. Plus, I’m going to have another exhibition in Italy during the European Photography Week in May. This is a project I’ve been working on for two years and it’s the story of the Gypsy women during the celebration of S.Sara. 

Katherine Alexander