Camera Roll is an interview series where we glimpse into the current moment via the mundane and the ordinary — the life documented and forgotten, lived through our phones and beyond.
Art director and editor Eleonora De Chiara is often spotted biking around Barcelona, listening to music and contemplating her surroundings. Her Instagram feed is full of treasures found in the archives, behind-the-scenes snapshots from her job at Paloma Wool, and a burgeoning collection of photos of fashion billboards around the world. We spoke with Eleonora about the importance of patience, her favorite item in her archive, working at Paloma Wool, and more.
what kind of phone do you have and how many images are on it?
I have an iPhone 6E and I have 37649 images at the moment.
can you describe your lock screen?
My lock screen features a blurry, diagonal photo of a canal in Venice. In the image, you can see some tables from a restaurant, with the blue water of the canal in front. I chose it because it reminds me of my roots — it's beautiful, calm, and nostalgic.
where are you right now?
After a month of traveling between NYC, Paris, and Rome, I am finally back in my adopted city, Barcelona.
what's your morning routine like?
I enjoy biking to the office, listening to music, and contemplating the landscape of Barcelona — from the buildings to the people to the graffiti.
how long do you typically spend on your phone in a day?
I don’t track it, but I think it’s enough!
tell us about one of the images on your camera roll.
This billboard in Soho showcases the latest Miu Miu campaign featuring Cara Delevingne, captured by photographer Zoë Ghertner. I’m building a collection of photos of billboards from different cities, capturing how each space interacts with fashion and advertising.
What was your upbringing like?
I’m originally from the south of Italy, from a village near a small city called Salerno. Growing up there often made me feel like an outsider, a rebel. From a very young age, I wanted to express my freedom as a woman and a creative person. I realized that the traditional aspects of my country didn't align with my ideals, so I decided to change my location.
I studied abroad in Europe, in cities like Lisbon and Brussels, and eventually moved to Barcelona to start working at Paloma Wool.
what do your days look like?
When I'm not traveling for work, my days pass quite peacefully, balancing office work, a bit of Pilates, quiet evenings at home with my housemates, or having a drink at a bar. When I finally have some time alone, I spend it revisiting my favorite pieces from my archive.
how did you first get into art direction?
At university, during group assignments, I was always the one who conceptualized the work. Then, at Paloma Wool, I began to formalize my profession.
can you tell us a bit about your archival work? what’s that like, and are there any favorite things you’ve found?
A few years ago, I started creating my collection of printed matter with pieces I found during my travels. It helps me a lot to learn, from one publication to another, and keeps my curiosity active. While creating my archive, I also made decisions about the direction I wanted to pursue and the areas of interest I wanted to focus on. Besides my favorite photographs, artists, and designers, I research the investigation behind the creation of publications, from paper selection to layout design. One of my favorite items is a lookbook from Yohji Yamamoto Spring Summer 1993; it’s a black shiny folder that contains about twenty separate sheets. The photos alternate with quotes from Yohji Yamamoto about the collection. When I first flipped through it, I got chills, and I still do every time I look through it.
how do you strike a balance between work and free time?
I make a conscious effort to balance my work with time spent among my friends, as well as time alone for research, investigation, and even doing nothing. These moments with friends for example allow us to share our experiences, discuss our ideas, and connect over the people we've met. We also delve into our mutual interests in books, cinema, fashion, and more. This time together is incredibly valuable to me; it’s the part of my free time that I love and cherish the most, helping me recharge.
when did you get your first phone, and what do you remember about it?
I think I was 12, and it was an LG. I remember taking pictures and listening to my favourite music on it.
we’d love to hear about how you capture and remember moments of your life.
I mostly use my phone to document; I like to select my photos and create albums on my phone, but I’m not that organized. I often print my photos and then create physical albums, mostly with pages from my research that I liked the most, or special places, clothes, and shoes.
what’s your stylistic approach to taking photos and videos on your phone?
I am fascinated by screens, so often while looking at my photos on the computer, I take a photo of the screen. The texture of paper is also another great analog filter for me.
favorite accounts to follow on social media?
I love @rachelaliceroddy’s recipes and the way she presents them. @portikus_under_construction features a collection of short films by Helke Bayrle about installing exhibitions at Portikus since 1992. @ermesermes, an art gallery in Rome. And of course, @rarebooksparis and @billmagazine.
what are you watching?
I just watched a really niche documentary about Pier Vittorio Tondelli, an Italian writer who explored the artistic scene of the 1980s in Florence. It’s called Ciao libertini! Gli anni ottanta secondo Pier Vittorio Tondelli. Through it, I learned more about projects like Westuff, a magazine focused on fashion and culture, and Magazzini Criminali, a postmodern theater company. These discoveries have opened new paths of research for me. I also loved Caprice by Joanna Hogg.
what’s in your podcast and youtube queue?
Miu Miu’s Tales & Tellers, The Publisher Series by International Library of Fashion Research on YouTube, and Bliss Foster’s channel on Patreon, which focuses on fashion analysis. In Italian, I follow ArteSettima on YouTube, which explores the cinema world, and Morgana by Michela Murgia and Chiara Tagliaferri, a podcast about women's stories.
what are you reading?
I am reading The Disintegration of a Critic by Jill Johnston. I am enjoying reading her columns reflecting the cultural and social shifts of the 1960s and 1970s, a time of significant change in art, politics, and social movements in NYC. Johnston captured the spirit of the era, exploring themes like counterculture, feminism, evolving art scene, offering a window into that transformative period. On my Kindle I am reading Art Worlds by Howard Saul Becker. I love the IDEA and Rotonda Studio newsletters.
last thing you googled on your phone?
I googled the schedule for a cinema near my place, La Filmoteca de Catalunya, and I was happy to see that Bande à part is being screened today at 9 PM.
favorite new possession over the past year?
This Margiela jacket.
favorite place to get a drink?
Canvis Nous, El Pollo, Bar Manifest.
any advice for those who want to work in fashion?
Be patient.
what’s been inspiring you lately?
Friends, society, layering, young movements, shoes, eyes, work-in-progress spaces.