This video work, is a continuation of the project Dionysius Playground, sheding a light on the rich and original carnival practices of the Mamutzones of Samugheo in the Italian island of Sardinia, where millenary traditions are still alive these days.
In this carnival ritual, Dionysus is represented by the zoomorphic mask of “S’Urtzu”, who wears an entire goat skin, with his head attached and the masks of the Mamutzones represent the followers of Dionysus. During the ritual the group, after blackening their faces with burnt cork and dressing up in animal skin full of bells or animal bones, surround “S’Urtzu” with a possessed dance ceremonial where the rattles of the bells have an apotropaic meaning: with their sound they keep the evil spirit away, while the rhythm of the drum, dance, and wine resemble a celebration.
