It's Friday, It's Playtime!

Time to come out and play!

Beautifully Grotesque

I just have this obsession with carnivals. I always have, it's one of my favorite hobbies and biggest sources of inspiration: to research carnivals and their lovely 'freaks'.Not that I've ever been to any amazing carnival, Miami only had Barnum & Baily's; where the treatment of animals and overall stench would simply depress me. I guess it's just the characters that fascinate me- like a pinch of the surreal in our oh-too-predictable everyday life. Perhaps if filmmaking doesn't work out I'll join the circus.

Johnny Eck
Johnny, born in 1911 without legs along with a normal twin brother, Rob. Despite the doctor's fears that he wouldn't survive the week, Johnny did live and was walking on his hands by his first birthday. He began making public appearances at age fourteen with traveling shows. He often appeared with his twin, and the two were famous for a trick in which Rob was sawed in half, producing a half-boy, Johnny.

 

 Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy
Jo-Jo The Dog-Faced Boy  was born Fedor Jeftichew in St. Petersburg and toured with his father until the father passed away. He eventually got a contract with Barnum who made him a star by the created back-story that a hunter in Kostroma, Russia, had tracked Jo-Jo and his father to their cave and captured them. The father was described as savage and could not be civilized. His promoter made a point of stressing his resemblance to a dog, and explained that when he was upset he would bark and growl. In his show Jo-Jo obliged by barking and growling, apparently quite the showman.

 

New Toy Camera

Just some photos I took of Timur in Hermosa Beach and Griffith Park, trying out my new toy camera...