WHO?
My name is Francesca Tiboni, I am from a little village near Garda Lake, Italy, and I now reside in Cagliari, Sardinia. I am an optimist by choice, in love with humanity, and I photograph everything I like; I’m interested in different life experiences and perspectives. At University I studied Arabic and Hebrew to understand, to listen. My degree didn’t lead me to a job in that field, but for a long time I volunteered to welcome foreigners and support people in prison; these were life-changing experiences. Communication has since become my job.
WHAT?
I am interested in exploring the overlooked and what isn’t seen, both urban and human, whether that is in the geographical peripheries of the city, or the peripheries of the eye, within the city itself. I look for what is hidden or what is marginalised. When I’m lucky, and I find some glimpses of unmasked truth, I seem to understand my present better. The outskirts are strewn with signs to be deciphered and inhabited by people who, with their stories, give meaning to the spaces they inhabit.
WHERE?
I was born in a mountain village in Northern Italy, but have been living in Cagliari for fifteen years. Here I have formed new roots; my children were born on the island. Cagliari is the capital city of Sardinia, an enchanting city in many respects. To the tourist’s eye, it shows itself with a beautiful view of the sea and kilometres of beach; furthermore, its historic center (that has existed since the Phoenician era), reveals, through its architecture, the stratifications that are added in each historical cycle. In recent years I have been discovering the marginal Cagliari which does not coincide with the Cagliari on its edges but can be found everywhere. An urban exploration in the peripheries, it is meant more as a social concept than a geographical one.
WHEN?
I always photograph, as soon as I can, in the fragments of time and space cut out between the commitments of a full-time job and my children. The camera is always with me. Photography is a form of meditation, it gives me moments of solitude, fullness, and complete listening. It also offers me an excuse to approach strangers for a portrait on the street, opening the door to their world and their stories.
WHY?
For me photography is a way to understand what surrounds me and enter into a deep connection with my environment.
In general, I find superficial interactions extremely tiring; on the contrary, the encounters in which I touch sparks of humanity or pieces of truth that hide under the crust fill me with energy and give me joy.
I also feel the duty to convey the importance of the plurality of points of view to my children, in addition to the contribution that the female gaze gives to photography.
HOW ?
With a sense of the sacred and a restless sweetness.
