Sergio Castro is Obsessed with Memory
Who: Sergio Castro San Martín
Where he was born: El Salvador, Atacama Desert, 1979
Where he lives now: In Santiago, Chile
What he does: I am a photographer and a filmmaker.
How it all began:
One of my older sisters gave me a old analog camera in 1997 just before I travel to Torres del Paine. I bought diapositives and colour films. After the trip I realized that the photos were not very good. I doubted of myself until a Chilean photographer told me, “You must take more photos in your life.” This expression was revealing for me.
How he captures ideas:
In general I imagine the photos in a particular place. Obviously, it is never the same when you are shooting there, so I try to bring that first picture to that moment. Another habit is to look through the viewfinder and wait for the exactly moment. I prefer to shoot in film so the moment you are capturing is unique.
If he were a sound:
The sound of sea, or the sound of fire. For me it is the same. When you dont have any, you can climb to the top of a high building where the sound of traffic is in some way similar.
He believes in:
I believe in everything. When I was Younger, I used to be Catholic, for my education and my family, but today I believe in God, Buda, Aliens, other galaxies, mermaids, and much more.
If he could see social disruption:
The fall of the current economic system and the change to a more sustainable world.
Something he needs to change:
Think less and enjoy more.
Something great he’s read:
I am now reading a book, given to me by a friend, called Homeostasis. There are several interviews, with all kinds of people—conducted by Sergio Larraín, a Chilean photographer—who live in Chile and have changed their lives after living in the “system.” It is a book in which people analyze the current world, and the world they imagine for future generations.
Someone else making interesting art today:
Michel Haneke (director and screenwriter), Emmanuel Lubezky (Cinematographer).
Heavy rotation:
Richard Hawley and Neil Young are always in my headphones.
His most recent artistic references:
John Hilliard, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Constant, Harold Feistein, and Vivian Maier.
Favorite photograph by his most admired photographer:
There is a photo from Harold Feistein (“Window Washer,” 1968) It’s the shadow of a man cleaning a big window and behind, a herd of birds fly. Is a magical moment.
Why he takes photos:
I dont´know. Maybe because I’m obsessed with memory.
Where he finds peace:
When I travel.
Sergio’s WILD Wish:
Stay during a long time with a native tribe.
see more at sergiocastrophotography.jimdo.com and follow on Instagram @sergiocastrophotography
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