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Conceptual

Simona Ciocarlan

Photographer

Simona Ciocarlan

They danced in a different way

“They danced in a different way” is an examination of memory, nostalgia and cultural projections, seeking to provide insights into the lives of people that continue to practice ancestral rituals and wear traditional attire in Europe.
My photographs are glimpses of people’s lives, documenting stories of individuals and communities from different regions of Romania.
The red thread that connects all these narratives, including my own, is represented by the Romanian peasant textiles and archaic traditions. Folk textiles could be regarded as an interplay between invention, innovation and ancient heritage transmitted from generation to generation, acting as symbols produced over centuries of cultural exchange.
My intention is to place a light onto the customs, drawing a portrait of post-communist Romania, investigating how the identities are built and influenced by the interweave between the modern world, perceptions and inherited culture.

Simona Ciocarlan

Simona Ciocarlan is a Romanian visual artist and photographer based in Glasgow, United Kingdom. She holds a First Class Honours Degree in Photography, specialising in fine art and documentary photography. Simona’s work explores the relationship and impact between traditions and the modern era, investigating how our perceptions over the world are influenced by cultural heritage. Throughout her projects, she constantly seeks to reference diverse layers of personal history and collective memory that shape our identity. She has exhibited her work in many collective exhibitions in United Kingdom and Europe. Simona has won the Format Festival Shutter Hub Portfolio Award in 2019 and was a runner-up for the Grain Portfolio Award at Format Festival, furthermore she received a Highly Commended Award at Jill Todd Photographic Award in 2018. Her photographs have been featured in The Herald, The National, The Evening Times, Clydebank Post and BBC Travel.