Winning photographs

A flock of about 500 sheep and goat rest at a farm close-by a new built apartment blocks, called Confort City. The farm has been here, at the edge of Bucharest, for decades. The apartments have been build 10 years ago; since then, their inhabitants are making constant efforts to shut down the farm, complaining against the smell and noise. Today the farm is almost closed, but as its own decision: the owner is too old and nobody else wants to continue this business.

A boy wearing a natural bear skin and mask poses in front of a communist block of flats in South Bucharest, Piata Sudului. He is part of a bigger group of 20 youngsters, which came from the Bacau area (300 km away from Bucharest), countryside, to perform the Bear Dance. This old ritual, which is losing its track in the pagan period symbolizes the death and the rebirth of the bear, which is link with the New Year Eve and harvest.

Elena, a vegetable seller in a newly built residential quarter in Rosu, Bucharest. Formerly a village within the capital borders, Rosu was a village of farmers which provided vegetables in the city market. Now, as their houses and land is sold to construct bigger things, the vegetables are coming mostly from imports (Turkey).

A man which is doing that each afternoon after he finishes his jobs, baths in the Morii Lake. "The water is clear, the temperature's perfect. This is how i get rid of my black toughs" The lake was built by the communists in the 80's to protect the city against floods. Back then, cement was poured over a decommisionned residential area, which included a cemetery and a Church. From this reason, the locals consider the lake cursed, although many, lacking other opportunities, are swimming in its dirty waters or sun bathing nearby.

People are ice fishing on the frozen surface of the larges artificial lake in Bucharest, Lacul Morii. The lake was built by the communists in the 80's to protect the city against floods. Back then, cement was poured over a decommisionned residential area, which included a cemetery and a Church. From this reason, the locals consider the lake cursed, although many, lacking other opportunities, are swimming in its dirty waters or sun bathing nearby.

A family poses in front of their house in Bucharest next to a ritualic sacrificed pig. The animal arrived already killed as the blood on the left comes from a sacrificed chicken. This ancient ritual, linked with the Christmas Eve is often seen in the Romanian countryside and sometimes outskirts or at the capital's periphery, which still has very tight ties with the rural society.

Three homeless men are warming over a fire. They live by sorting out the garbage and later sell the recycled material (glass, plastic). They live in a forest a hundred meters away from the newly built houses and blocks for the middle class in the south part of Bucharest, Drumul Taberei. As their makeshift house is not good enough for strong winter, once the temperature is dropping to freezing degrees, they go to sleep in the sewage system.

New Years Eve in a new built middle class neighborhood at the edge of Bucharest

Petrut Calinescu – The Periphery Fairytale: The middle class quest for a Western Life // Reportage/Photo Series

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Festival:

Balkan Photo Award 2017

Info:

The winning reportage in the category "Photo Story/Photo Series"

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