Publications
Interview | An Interview with Jason Gardner and Giovanni Kezich about We the Spirits
Andrew Snyder, INET-md's researcher, conducted an interview with photographer Jason Gardner and anthropologist Giovanni Kezich about the book We the Spirits, which examines carnival characters around the world.
"An Interview with Jason Gardner and Giovanni Kezich about We the Spirits" is available in open access, included in the number 6 of the Journal of Festive Studies.
Abstract:
This interview discusses the book We the Spirits, by award-winning photographer Jason Gardner, published in 2024 by GOST Books. The book is an assemblage of arresting photographs of masquerade characters from fifteen countries, mostly but not exclusively in Europe. Many of the masking traditions Gardner documents are associated with traditions of rural small towns and cities little known beyond their locales and are mostly connected to the pre-Lenten festive period of carnival. The interview contains Gardner’s reflections on the pleasures, challenges, and ethics of photographing masqueraders, and it features several photos from the book, four of which are discussed at length. The interview also contains the perspectives of anthropologist Giovanni Kezich, who wrote an accompanying essay for the book and was an important academic interlocutor for the book’s preparation. His research project, Carnival King of Europe (www.carnivalkingofeurope.it), has been funded by the European Union and has documented carnival manifestations from around the continent since 2007. The book is available at Gardner’s website. The interview was conducted by Journal of Festive Studies coeditor, Andrew Snyder.
