I first took photographs at a Romanian fairground in 2008, in the city of Rosiorii de Vede. I hung out with the kinds of people who draw their living from following the fair around – merchants, grill masters and craftsmen, all of whom were unavoidably covered in a weird mixture of glitter and grime. I also watched the crowds arrive, dressed to impress – many in their Sunday best, girls in bright colours and high heels. When I saw these clashing identities, I quickly understood that the fairground was a place where I could witness firsthand the modernising of Romanian traditions and rural culture. Since then, I’ve been to many others across the country – in Fieni, in Lapusani, in Bogdan-Voda, in Calarasi, in Pietrari, in Galicea and many other places. It never ceases to amaze me how much can change while basically remaining completely the same.
Click through for more of photographs from Romanian Fairgrounds.
