Mjölk

Sofia

Team leaders: Mjölk architekti (Jan Vondrák, Jan Mach, Pavlína Müllerova)

Team: John Cummins, Evdoxia Golobia, Valentin Warminski, Sofija Mašović, Brigita Teplanova

Across centuries, Carnival has often been about masking oneself, hiding behind an unknown identity to make all equal. This is a communal mask, a wooden scaled creature that its team can lift up from the inside and carry as part of its parade. That in itself creates a close, intimate connection, the sort that would once be necessary for smaller communities to survive. But this worm-like beast was built with greater goals in mind, eschewing the modern architectural demands of straight lines, cross sections and precise measurements. Instead, it is built with a frame of branches and sticks found on site, ignoring the technical details of construction in favour of something more tangible and physical. With no plans beyond a concept, this wooden snake was as much about the creative process of building as it was the final project.

Photos: Zsuzsa Darab, Tamás Bujnovszky