Saturday, May 30, 2009

Fairground Attractions


This week is the annual Spring Carnival in Lowell.  


Just one dollar admits you to the tiniest, ricketiest carnival of all time--


pure candied heaven,

sweet melancholy,
the promise of reward,

and the scent of grass and diesel 
as day slips into night.

9 comments:

  1. Lovely photos, Gigi. I am always attracted to such things, the tiny and the rickety and the just-hanging-on. I love the sense of narrative in the sequence, coming to rest in these final two images.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, James. I deeply love carnivals, and these photos were a pleasure to take and arrange.

    ReplyDelete
  3. These are amazing shots! Should be the cover of Picolo, if I ever finish/publish it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, I hope you do finish Picolo--one of my favorite stories ever.

    ReplyDelete
  5. #7 is my favorite -- I would say "it could be a painting" but all my photographer friends would get angry with me...

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love your photographs, I find them intriguing and alien at the same time. Here in the UK, travelling fairs were (and in some cases still are) an evolution of Romany horse fairs from Mainland Europe. I remember going to fairs as a child and feeling a disturbing pull towards the swarthy skinned, midnight eyed travellers, despite being pale blonde and blue eyed myself. It felt like I had come full circle when I found out, while doing my family history, that on both sides of my family only two generations back, were watermen travellers. It has made me wonder then, despite the palour of my skin, what genetic memories run through my veins.
    Thanks for this post, it will have me pondering all day!
    Kim xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nancy,
    That's my favorite, too, and since I am only a hobbyist with my little camera, I say "hooray" to your comment!
    xo G

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for visiting and for your comments, Kim. I was excited to read them because I have a very deep interest in Romany culture. In graduate school, I spent a lot of time researching and writing about Polish Gypsies, but I also read quite a bit about the traveling fairs in the UK. I loved reading about your own childhood fascination with the travellers. How amazing to discover that you have that genetic connection!
    -xo

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for visiting and for taking the time to leave a comment! I love hearing from you.