Artwork
Craft
Historical past
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#Ashley Suszczynski
#costumes
#Europe
#Indigenous tradition
#masks
“Startsi,” Voynyagovo Village, Karlovo Municipality, Plovdiv Province, Bulgaria. All photos © Ashley Suszczynski, shared with permission
As a toddler, Ashley Suszczynski used to attract copiously in her faculty notebooks and escape into the chimerical worlds of books. “I loved the imaginative illustrations,” she tells Colossal. “Each story sent me into a new world, and I kind of dissociated from my own… Every page was full of magic and mystery—an immersive adventure into lands of mythical monsters, talking animals, the weird and the wonderful.”
The fascination with legends and supernatural creatures endured into maturity, forming the idea of Suszczynski’s love for images, folklore, and cultures all over the world. “Several years ago, I learned about a masquerade in the north of Spain called La Vijanera,” she says. “The characters looked like those I had imagined from the pages of my childhood stories.” Anthropomorphic, fur-covered creatures met tree nymphs and spirits of the woodlands, all enrobed in remarkably elaborate handmade costumes.
Suszczynski delved into additional analysis about European masking rituals and rites, studying concerning the vary of characters, historical past, and symbolism distinctive to every custom. Festivals all through the continent usually centered on frequent themes, just like the cycle of the seasons, life and dying, or fertility, whereas expressing themselves via distinctive costumes. “It seemed as though every tiny village had their own unique ancient rituals that were still thriving in our modern society,” she says.
Language boundaries are sometimes the first impediment Suszczynski encounters as she travels all over the world to satisfy those that protect their native customs. In small, rural communities, individuals usually solely communicate their native language. “There isn’t really any information on the internet about these groups,” she says. “Finding them is always like a treasure hunt. Sometimes I would just drive to a village, go to their town hall with my phone, and Google Translate to the mayor, asking if they had masks there. The townspeople were extremely helpful; they’d often organize the village group with only a day or two notice.”
“Kukeri,” Kolarovo Village, Petrich Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria
A number of the characters Suszczynski meets in her ongoing travels embrace the Bulgarian Kukeri, variations on which can be referred to as Startsi or Chaushi, amongst others. Elaborate headdresses and costumes comprised of wool, animal horns, embroidered cloth, bells, and different ornaments invoke the magical energy to usher in new seasons and scare away evil spirits.
Capturing the fitting picture poses the subsequent main problem, as Suszczynski works laborious to make individuals snug regardless of not talking the identical language, and she or he has fashioned shut friendships within the course of. “After nearly every photoshoot, we would wind up in someone’s living room, sharing food and brandy together, looking through old photos, laughing, and learning,” she says.
Suszczynski emphasizes that her function, akin to the individuals she images, is that of a storyteller. By means of a visible medium, she hopes to share data and understanding of age-old customs to additional the preservation efforts of their bearers. “I want to show people how lesser-known cultures, relics, rites, and rituals have withstood time and evolved in our ever-changing world,” she says.
This winter, Suszczynski is planning to {photograph} some festivals in Mexico and Latin America, and she or he simply completed up documenting the pageant of Virgin del Carmen in Paucartambo, Peru. “I am so thankful for each and every person I have photographed,” Suszczynski says. “I couldn’t do any of this without their passion and willingness to share their time, energy, and culture.”
Discover extra on the artist’s web site and Instagram. And you may also get pleasure from Killian Lassablière’s brief documentary “Kukeri” or Roberto de la Torre’s portraits of elaborately masked characters in northern Spain’s Entroidos.
“Kukeri,” Village of Opanets, Pleven Municipality, Bulgaria
“Chaushi,” Razlog, Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria
“Harramacho,” Navalacruz, Avila, Spain
“Vazovski Jumal,” Ivan Vazovo Village, Kaloyanovo Municipality, Plovdiv Province, Bulgaria
“Survakari,” Dolna Sekirna Village, Breznik Municipality, Bulgaria
“Tranga,” Bielsa, Huesca, Spain
#Ashley Suszczynski
#costumes
#Europe
#Indigenous tradition
#masks
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