Global Carnival - work by Jason Gardner
Galicia 2020 - by Jason Gardner
In the heart of winter, some very ancient rituals are still performed throughout Europe to secure prosperity and good harvests. Such rituals are the original core of what today is commonly known as Carnival.
Slovenia Cerkno
Despite how it is often perceived in modern media, this annual event is much more than a party and parade in the streets. Dating from pre-Christian times, this celebration reveals a complex diversity of local customs intersecting with universal themes: winter and spring; life and death; light and dark; chaos and order. It's a moment to celebrate the cycle of the seasons, excise the winter darkness, and look forward to spring.
For over 15 years, throughout 16 countries, photographer Jason Gardner has visually documented the ritual and festival of Carnival, focusing on traditional, folkloric, and community celebrations.
Bubaque Carnaval - Guinea Bissau
In partnership with WOMAD and Malmesbury Carnival, Caerbladon is staging three ‘Global Carnival’ exhibitions of Jason Gardner’s photographs, in venues in Malmesbury and on the nearby WOMAD festival site, and in public spaces. The exhibition will focus on Carnival rites and rituals from Brazil to Louisiana, the Austrian alps to the Spanish Basque countries, from remote islands off Guinea-Bissau to the shores of France, and from Poland to Macedonia.
NOLA Super Sunday New Orleans 2016
The exhibition will open on the 26 July 2023 and run through to 2 September, taking in the WOMAD featival weekend and Malmesbury Carnival month. A selection of works from the series will then be shown at The Three Cups Inn, Malmesbury, through till March 2024. The exhibition will be accompanied by music and carnival-making workshops, talks about Carnival arts globally and film screenings. The exhibitions focus on music performance associated with Carnival and the masks and costumes which connect people with their roots while enabling them to rebel against and transcend their daily life and surroundings.
Slovenia 2019
The exhibition coincides with a new photobook, We The Spirits, published by GOST Books in London, and available to buy now. Follow the link below to find out more about the book and watch the short video about the project:
