Public Story
Tradition
Summary
"Tradition" is a series focusing on the Jewish Orthodox community in North London and their celebration of the Purim holiday.
Led by a curiosity about such a traditional, religious community in one of the most modern cities in the world, I have been documenting Purim since 2016. Being one of the most festive Jewish holidays, it gives a rare insight into the generally tight-knit community of Stamford Hill. It seems like all boundaries vanish for one day. Adolescent boys drink with their friends and dance on platform trucks with klezmer techno blasting from the speakers. Almost everyone is wearing a costume the more extravagant, the better. Since the beginning of my project, I have seen children dressed up as Rubik's cubes, popcorn boxes, aeroplanes and bananas.
For me, Purim is a mixture of past and present. There is a contradiction between the modern references of pop icons, fake cigarettes, and the traditional values at the core of the community's faith. Inspired by the work of Diane Arbus and Mary Ellen Mark, I want to evoke a similar sense of timelessness with this series, hence my decision to shoot this project on an old Rolleiflex camera and limit myself to a restrained black-and-white palette.
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