There are masquerade traditions all around the world. Bulgaria has the Babugeri, men who dress in full-body animal costumes and perform rituals intended to banish evil spirits. Babugeri can be seen at the Surova folk feast that takes place in the Pernik region. My work is not to photograph the masquerade. My work is to photograph the figures, almost like sculptures. So I make appointments with these men and travel out to photograph them in their own landscape, on their own territory. You get to a field and these guys are dressing up next to their cars, and then they come and stand in front of you. It’s a powerful moment when you are facing them. That’s the moment I like.
This costume is made of goat fur. The quantity of fur needed to make one costume is crazy – I think it’s eight goats. You have to be a young and fit man to wear them because they’re very heavy. I once photographed a guy who was not just dressing up but also breeding the goats and killing them himself. He was invested in the whole process, because these costumes are not cheap at all.
