Kamisalak

The Silent Mask

Carnival is a festive season very popular in Italy that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. In the countryside of central west regions of Italy, such as Lazio, it's something that people wait all year for, designing and sewing stunning costumes they will show off during the four days of celebration. They prepare themselves to enjoy the freedom and pleasure this feast brings along with its funny parades, masquerade balls, entertainment, music, and parties. To celebrate the beginning of the Carnival, local people make an hand-built man-sized rag doll called "Il Puccio" that is then placed in the most famous square of the village. According to custom, at sunset on Shrove Tuesday , just before Ash Wednesday, Il Puccio is burned off. This marks the official end of Carnival. One of the main feature of the Italian Carnival compared to the South American one is related to the choice of the costumes which are more related to "La commedia dell'arte". This brings back people into a medieval atmosphere, closely related to a so called Ghiottona tradition, full of lights and bright colors. For this reason I've decided not to rely on colors in my pictures, but instead playing with light and dark shades, and take advantage of the chiaroscuro. Black and white and analog instead digital have been chosen to create something that resembles the circus arena, a contemporary vaudeville or better some burlesque fragments belonging to the first silent pictures.