© Danilo Murru, West Bank, Palestine

What was your everyday life like before you identified as an artist or photographer? Growing up in Sardinia, how did your surroundings and culture shape your early perspective on life and art? Was there a particular moment or experience that pushed you toward photography as a medium?

Danilo Murru (DM): I couldn't have asked for a better upbringing, I am the third child of four in a very solid and loving family. To be born in Sardinia is certainly a blessing and Cagliari, an ancient and history-rich capital is a gorgeous city to grow up in. My immediate neighbourhood, on the outskirts of the city was not so gorgeous and far from easy. Here I quickly learned about the disparity and inequality in our society. Primary school was a bit traumatic due to my difficulty with reading. Many years later I was diagnosed with dyslexia which answered many questions for me but back then as far as my teacher was concerned I was just ‘not so intelligent’. This resulted in early difficulties and a massive lack of self esteem which grew exponentially as I became a teenager so middle school was also a bit of a battleground. I suffered from bullying and my insecurity affected everything I did. Luckily I had and still have a supportive family and many very good friends.

There was no exposure to art and creativity in school, in the neighbourhood or at home. My parents were not into arts at all, possibly because they were not exposed to it themselves when they were younger. I am not blaming them, they gave us everything else and more and wholeheartedly supported me and my siblings with everything we wanted to do in life. When I finally picked up photography many years later they were there to buy me my first proper camera. A lovely solid Nikon FM2, which I still have and occasionally still use.

My early curiosity for geography, the world in general and human anthropology made me choose nautical studies as my high school subject with the idea that at the end of the fifth year I would leave the island and work on a merchant ship or an oil tank and just travel the world. The desire to do the latter is still there as for the merchant ship, no thanks.

To be born on an island, small enough to feel the sea breeze on your neck every day for me at least gave me a desire to see what life is like beyond the sea. So after high school and subsequently a pointless year wasted with the compulsory army service I finally left the island. Over the 30 odd years that I have been away from Sardinia, every time I was asked ‘Why did you leave?’ I always answered that I left because I was curious to explore other places, which is true, but have more recently acknowledged that I was running away, I escaped at the first opportunity, no clear destination, just away. It took me a long time to admit this to myself and it is exactly this that is at the very centre of my project "The furthest point was home" but I will say more on this subject later in the interview.

© Danilo Murru, from 'The Furthest Point Was Home'

Tell us a bit about your educational path and its influence on your artistic development. Did your studies or mentors play a pivotal role in your journey? Were there specific figures who helped shape your visual identity or technical practice?

DM: So at the age of 24 I spent a few months in London and my girlfriend at the time bought me a cheap reflex camera from a market stall in Camden, nothing special, just an old piece of soviet machinery but it gave me the right intro to photography. Eventually I moved to Rome where I did a photojournalism course, six months of pure action guided by two veteran photojournalists. In the year 2000 I decided to move back to London to pursue a degree in fine art photography at the London College of Communication (formerly London College of Printing) This was the best decision taken for myself and my photography. My god I loved that place, so inspiring and challenging. Some outstanding teachers and a phenomenal mix of students from all over the world. Quite a jump from my little Sardinia. From here I quickly shifted my attention from b/w photojournalism to colour social documentary and urban landscape.

© Danilo Murru, from 'The Furthest Point Was Home'

© Danilo Murru, from 'The Furthest Point Was Home'

What themes and subjects typically capture your attention?

DM: This is a tricky one to answer. I’ve realised over the years that when I followed a clear theme for a project or even labelled myself as a certain type of photographer I would become too restricted within that and it would become a barrier to any kind of evolution or freedom of expression and I would find concluding a project almost impossible which was infinitely frustrating. Ridding myself of these themes/labels has opened me up to taking photos I wouldn’t have taken previously. Over the past few years looking back at ‘Eat More Chips’ and 'The Furthest Point Was Home’ I can see that there is a lot more of myself and my own personal journey as a human and not just as a photographer in these projects.

What is your approach to photography as a medium? Do you prefer certain types of cameras, techniques, or processes when conceptualising and creating your work? How do you approach the development of a new project—do you start with an idea, a place, or a feeling?

DM: It was during my first year at LCP that I was introduced to a large format camera (5 x 4) and I pretty much immediately understood that this amazing piece of machinery was perfect for the kind of ideas I was beginning to explore back then. Nearly twenty five years later I still almost exclusively make images on 5 x 4 films. More recently I also reintroduced a medium format camera for practical reasons, you know, i am not getting younger and a large format camera is pretty heavy to carry around all day, not to mention the cost per image.
Shooting on film, either large or medium format can be seen as a fashionable thing to do but I very much welcome that because it has brought back extinct film types, many new labs have sprung up. For me it is nothing new, I have only ever done that and I would like to continue for as long as I can. I have considered introducing a digital back to my large format, but I honestly cannot justify the cost. In the end I never produce huge quantities of images and what I spend in a year in films and dev. is not even close to the cost of a second hand digital back. So i will continue the way I know and enjoy very much. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against digital cameras, I have a couple of decent ones and I use them for research or snap shooting, but I don't see them as being appropriate for my projects. It is true though that at times I feel my way of working is obsolete and when I see images created with the latest technology available I feel like I do not belong in this century. I recently went to see a show entirely created by AI and I have to say it left a sense of anxiety in me. Incredible details and resolution, but not my thing, at least for now.
Looking back at all of my work I would say that I have developed some projects starting from a specific idea, others from a place and definitely more recently my projects seem to have evolved from a feeling.

© Danilo Murru, from 'The Furthest Point Was Home'

How important is research to your practice? Do you engage in in-depth research or collaborate with experts when developing your projects, or do you prefer to work more intuitively?

DM: It really depends on the project, for example when I did "Envoi" a project that took me to photograph seven different prisons in Sardinia and Sicily, I had to do a lot of research and also prepare myself mentally for what I was going to experience. It was a similar situation for a project I started in the Occupied West Bank about water. I hope this year "inshallah" I will be able to go back and continue this body of work in a part of the world very close to my heart. Both these projects required collaboration with experts, writers, poets etc. Other projects like "Eat more chips" and "The furthest point was home" have a completely different approach and beginning. Both projects are the result of a random exploration of places that I have previously looked up on a map or not even that, in other words, following some kind of instinct.

© Danilo Murru, from 'Eat More Chips'

Your early works seem to reflect a deep interest in geography, place, and travel. How did these themes shape your photographic approach, and in what ways has this exploration of different locations contributed to your maturation, particularly in relation to the role of photography in your practice?

DM: For me one does not exist without the other. My need to explore is directly linked to my need to photograph what I see. These desires feed each other but perhaps that’s the same for everyone.

In the project "Eat More Chips", you explore the British Isles, but also your experience as an immigrant. How has the UK become part of your artistic identity? What contrasts, opportunities, or challenges did you encounter compared to Sardinia, and how do these reflect in your work? How did you develop your visual approach to portray contemporary Britain?

DM: "Eat more chips" started not too long after the catastrophic Brexit result and also coincided with the beginning of what I now call 'a major personal crisis' in which bouts of depression left me breathless on the floor. I can now see that this project was actually a response to that crisis. Both 'Eat more chips' and 'The furthest point was home' run along two parallel lines and they have been my antidote to depression. They have in some way changed my approach to photography and have clearly shown that photography is a vital part of my healing process, an instrument of stability and liberation. It helps anchor me to a place when my own foundations are feeling shaky. Depression is a dark cloud which affects many people and is often seen as something to be ashamed of but I have learned that talking about it openly makes me feel better. I tackled it hard and with determination, the help of loved ones, therapy, the right dose of antidepressants and of course my photography I am in a much better place.

© Danilo Murru, from 'Eat More Chips'

© Danilo Murru, from 'Eat More Chips'

© Danilo Murru, from 'Eat More Chips'

How does "Eat More Chips" relate to the theme of change and cultural—if not anthropological—transition, both of yourself as a photographer and as an individual? The images in the project are also intimate and sometimes reflective. How did you choose the moments and details to capture in order to make these images so personal?

DM: For me the very beginning of a project like "Eat more Chips" or "the Furthest point" is purely instinctive, as I mentioned earlier, a random search for images within the familiar vicinity of my everyday existence and then further afield. Eventually this process of randomness is replaced by a clearer vision of what image may be needed next to complete the puzzle and at that point I know what images will work and what won't. "Eat more chips" started in London pretty much in the area I live in Tottenham, north London and gradually expanded its radius to the rest of the capital and then the rest of England and now is a UK wide project. Recently I did parts of Scotland and Wales and I am planning a few other short trips in the next few months. Here is an excerpt from "Eat more chips" just to help your readers understand what started this project: «'Eat More Chips' is an ongoing series which marks almost a quarter of a century living in the UK. I started this project after the departure of the UK from the European Union in 2020, it then built up momentum between lockdowns. By exploring the country in greater detail I found myself drawn to the more peculiar, decadent aspects of the cityscape/landscape and the shapes, the forms and the textures that have always been a central focus of my photographic practice. 'Eat More Chips' is not an attempt to define this country and Brexit is by no means the focus or subject of this project but instead triggered in me a chain of thought leading me on my own personal journey. Ultimately I needed to make peace with this place and once again photography was the cure for my struggle.» You read more on this work on my website.

© Danilo Murru, from 'Eat More Chips'

The project 'The Furthest Point Was Home' seems deeply rooted in your personal experience and your origins. What is your vision of this land, and how have you tried to translate its essence photographically? Are there particular aspects of Sardinia that you feel compelled to represent through the lens in order to convey its true identity?

DM: This is by far my most intimate project to date, I would go as far as to say it almost makes me feel naked. Its a project that brought me to admit to myself that I ran away as I mentioned earlier in the interview. The following paragraph is an extract from a recent publication in which I describe the essence of this project as best I can: “A Journey without a beginning that shifts, drifts, evolves, falters and flows. The only constant being the reconnection with my island; Sardinia. Piece by piece in small, intimate ways. Starting from my own troubled neighbourhood from which I escaped a long time ago. I seek familiar, insignificant details. I drive to remote and rural villages where I have never been before. I wander for hours barely seeing a soul, sometimes nobody at all. Recording shapes, shadows, geometries, textures, faces. A collection of fragments without a whole. More than a quarter of a century is a fairly long time to look back and still expect to find yourself solidly anchored to a place once left in a rush. Only one thing in mind, just leave, the rest will come and eventually home will feel like home again.”

© Danilo Murru, from 'The Furthest Point Was Home'

What are you up with right now….

DM: Its definitely been an exciting start of the year for my project “The furthest point was home” which has just been published as a lovely zine by Another Place Press as part of a collection called 'Field Notes'. 
Even more exciting is my solo show coming up in Cagliari at the Centro Culturale Il Ghetto. I haven’t had a solo show since 2019, and this one feels very much the right show at the right moment in the right place.
The show in Cagliari will run for two months, from the 3rd od April to the 31st of May. After I would like to take it to London, I already have a place in mind, but also I would love to take it somewhere in Italy, lets see how it goes, I’ m open to suggestions.

Danilo Murru (website)