Mobile Photography & Art – ‘Intimate Interview’ with Rino Rossi from Alba Adriatica, Italy
We have decided to launch a new intimate style of interview into TheAppWhisperer – the world’s most popular mobile photography and art website. We feel it is important that our community feel close to each other, as it is this support that helps us to nurture one another, gain confidence and continue to grow.
This is our twenty fourth interview, to read the others, please go here. Today, we are publishing this brutally honest and endearing interview with Rino Rossi from Alba Adriatica, Italy.
All images ©Rino Rossi
What was your childhood or earliest ambition?
I always dreamed of writing since I was a child. Poems, stories, reports – I even wanted to become a journalist!
First Recognition
While attending elementary school, I participated in a competition that included the drafting of a theme concerning the ‘Giro d’Italia’ which was a stop in my city. I had a special mention for this writing and was able to shake hands with a famous Italian cyclist, Felice Gimondi.
First Job
My first job was as a cashier at the cinema. On the weekends I took off the tickets and then I could watch all the movies on the schedule.
Private or State school?
I have always attended public schools, also because my parents could not afford anything else.
University or Work?
I attended a biology course at the University of L’Aquilia, but I did not pass the last two exams (on this one could then write a book…. but it is another story). In the meantime, however and since I live in a seaside resort, in the summer I have always been a waiter.
Who was or is still is your mentor?
I’ve never had a real mentor in the flesh, I have always lived in the shadow of virtual figures (musicians, actors, writers), whom I used to take as models of life.
How physically fit are you?
I am not particularly fond of physical activities and wellness but I like walking and cycling. The work I do (exactly the opposite of static work) helps to do the rest!
Ambition or talent: What matters more to success?
The answer for me is too simple. The difficulty, if anything, is to try to get the right balance between the two.
How politically committed are you?
When I was younger, I did enough, although I didn’t get too involved. Currently, given also the Italian and world situation, I am rather disillusioned. The ‘new fascism’ that is creeping into civilisation rather scares me, especially for my children.
What would you like to own that you don’t currently possess?
I’d like to have an Apple Mac at peak performance, to take advantage of its enormous photographic potential in combination with the apps on my iPhone.
What’s your biggest extravagance?
I consider myself as a rather boring individual. Perhaps my biggest extravagance is eating raw lemon.
In what places are you happiest?
Absolutely in isolated and silent places. The silent nothing that surrounds me manages to make me recover harmony with myself.
What ambitions do you still have?
It is certainly difficult at my age to still have ambitions. But it is precisely in the world of my visions that I place a small part of it. Hoping to bring someone closer to my ‘artism’ is my dominant ambition!
What drives you on?
The hope. The hope that humanity will prove to be such.
What is the greatest achievement of your life so far?
My two children aged seventeen and fourteen.
What do you find most irritating in other people?
The clever falsehood. Transparency is an increasingly rare gift, especially in the workplace.
If your 20 year old self could see you now, what would she think?
I believe that without too much immodesty, I would like… in the end I reflect what I aspired to at that age, even if very virtually
Which object that you’ve lost do you wish you still had?
I owned a Sony cassette Walkman that I used to record concerts and even simple ambient noise. A pity to have lost it!
What is the greatest challenge of our time?
Finding the right balance between environment and business, respecting the peace and dignity of all.
Do you believe in an afterlife?
It’s a question I always try to divert before I ask.. I don’t think so.
If you had to rate your satisfaction with your life so far, out of 10, what would you score?
I’d give myself a 7.5. I have not finished university but I have a family and a world of playful fantasy with which to relate daily.
Contact Details for Rino Rossi
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
