Tagada collects Paolo Zerbini’s photographs of various carnivals and fairs in rural Italy, made on film in the 2010s. I picked it up sorta by chance after visiting the publisher’s website to order a different book—Francesco Colleta’s ‘Foto Casti‘—which was, itself, an impulse purchase made after seeing a review somewhere. Given my love of theme parks and carnival rides, Tagada was a no brainer.
At the risk of this link/embed breaking because my unboxings somehow run afoul of the YouTube AI censors again… Here you go.
This was one of the last filmed before my earlier channel went bye bye and therefore adheres to the original format. If you’re familiar with my newer format, this might be a bit shocking.
Anyway.
I misread the book’s description and thought “Tagada” referred to a specific carnival or fair, but no… A tagada is a type of fair ground ride with a passing similarity to a Chance Rides “Trabant,” but without any sort of restraint system whatsoever. Riders board a circular platform and sit on lightly padded bench that runs around the inner perimeter of the ride. The platform spins and tilts and bounces according to operator whim, and riders bounce and flop about. Reports of broken limbs and deaths abound, and the ride is banned in the United States, Australia and elsewhere, which is probably why I was unfamiliar with it.
For more information, Coaster College has a nice overview. In my youth, I might wanna find one to ride; in my advanced age, I know it’s a bit beyond what my body can handle and I’d happily watch and hope to get a good photograph or two.
For the book, Zerbini spent several years traveling to fairs and carnivals around Italy. His premise seems to be the sort of coming of age that pre- and young teenagers go through at fairs, and most photographs feature young people having fun and/or posing around various rides and games. I’m older now than most of the their parents, but probably not quite old enough to be a grandparent, and I viscerally remember the Keller fair, the State Fair of Texas, the midway at the Fat Stock Show and Rodeo, and elsewhere. I still visit midways at bigger events, if only to photograph, and I have strong memories of: Uncle JC, who always gave me a quarter to spend at the fair, long after a quarter wasn’t worth much of anything at; of bruising ribs and hips on the tiny, janky roller coasters; of spending all the money I had, throwing dart after dart at balloons, to score a $4 stuffed animal that I then had to carry around for two or three hours.
Zerbini organized Tagada around a day at the fair: morning light over the midway as the sleepy rides and stalls come to life; kids walking to the fair; mid day hanging around and starting to gather a bit; a series of photographs of closed snack stands seem to indicate siesta; and then the crowds return, gathering steam as the sun goes down. The book ends with a night shot of part of a colorful entrance, flanked by a wildly overflowing garbage can. Overall, the layout works, though one feature put me off a bit in my earliest flipthroughs.
The pictures appear full bleed, mostly in portrait orientation like the book itself. Horizontal photos show up a few times, which isn’t a problem, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason to their orientation (left 90°, right 90°, both on one spread, one or the other paired with a vertically oriented print). This throws off my expectations and sorta twists and turns my brain around… much like I guess a tagada ride would. So… no complaint after all: I get it and it works. Kudos to Zerbini (and his editors: Luca Guarini co-edited; Francesco Valtoline and Nicola Narbone designed).
The topsy turvy ride continues in a brief essay at the end, from Francesco Zanot, which proceeds much like my own: a discussion of the ride, the making of the photographs, some discussion of what they might mean (and which is sorta absent from my own), and a description of the layout (which missed the siesta aspect, and which probably subconsciously informed my own reading). Some further commentary adds a nice sense of disorientation, with references to Kubric films, bad dance music, Hamony Korine and Ryan McGinley, and repeated slippage between Tagata (the ride) and Tagata the book. Good stuff, and a more or less fitting end to the book.
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Overall, Tagada rates a solid 4.5 stars.
Sadly, Skinnerboox reports Tagada as out of stock. Shame on me, I guess, for taking so long to get back to review it. Oh well, and apologies. It’s a good one, I think, and it fits with various genres in my collection. If you find a copy in a used bookstore, snag it and enjoy the ride.
And, no, you can’t have mine.
