The charm of the circus is something we all experience as children. It’s the Felliniesque world that has made history in cinema, that dimension which, with its images, takes us into the world of dreams and makes us experience a reality “other” than our daily one. But when the circus show itself is the representation of a child’s dream, then the magic amplifies and becomes a continuous flow of wonders, both imaginary and real.
All of this is “AN ENCHANTING CIRCUS,” a photographic project developed in 2023 that tells the story of Circus Incanto, “the show of dreams,” created and performed with intense strength and great professionalism by the Carbonari family. The uniqueness of this “fantastic” representation, which goes beyond the most common canons and stereotypes of the circus commonly understood, is the message that the show gives to the spectators: always believe in your dreams and pursue them with strength is the most beautiful thing one can imagine.
“Incanto” is a journey into the dream of Cristian, a 10-year-old boy who wants to become a star in the world of Circus and Variety. Despite his parents’ opposition and their recommendation for him to lead a “normal” life, made of study, work, and bourgeois life, Cristian doesn’t give up and dreams of being part of a great show. Alongside him, Illusionists, Aerial Acrobats, Clowns, and Jugglers will help him discover his vocation and find the path to finally realize his dream.
The photographer’s gaze experiences this magic with involvement, letting himself be carried away in the flow of music, colors, and images that the show offers. At the same time, however, he feels the need to narrate the silences, the quiet and subdued atmospheres that the moments characterizing the life “behind the scenes” can offer, because they too are part of the show.
Thanks to the images, the protagonists of the show take on purely magical aspects, they abandon their real dimension and transform into characters that appear to adults and children alike as the characters of a fairy tale.