MASKS

A festival of music, dreams, colors, and mysterious fantasy, Fasnacht Carnival is the heart and soul of the city of Basel in Switzerland and the most anticipated and celebrated event of the year. After photographing this event for four consecutive years, I have come to realize that masks play an important role not only in the carnival but also in Swiss society.

In a country shaped by norms, rules, and good behavior, wearing a mask offers people a chance to loosen up, to act and behave differently. It is an opportunity for citizens to vent political frustrations, to criticize, and to mock everything they disagree with. For three days and three nights, Basel transforms into a mysterious world of music, colors, and endless parades of masked bands, each marching along their own route through this medieval town. Demonic and grotesque masks wander the streets, incarnating evil characters themselves.

In this photo series, I chose to use blur and long exposures to capture the mystery and chaos of this event, and to depict the otherwise well-behaved citizens of Switzerland who go wild in the streets while maintaining their precious anonymity.