The Carnival transcends the simple festivity to become a democratic and folkloric rite, revealing a complexity of local customs mixed with universal themes. From the Austrian Alps to the Cajun prairies of Louisiana, from the northern shores of France to the remote islands of Guinea-Bissau, each carnival perpetuates centuries-old traditions through masks and costumes, deeply grounding participants in their roots while challenging them to transcend and even challenge their daily lives and environment. In this ritual performance, where men and women metamorphose into animals, spirits, mythical creatures, they revisit ancient seasonal rites, celebrating the cycles of human life: winter and spring, sterility and fertility, life and death, chaos and order. Regardless of the location, recurring motifs emerge: Rituals made up of songs and dances, processions in the villages, the ringing of bells and noises intended to postpone winter and ensure an abundant harvest; door-to-door visits to share food and drink with neighbours; fires to drive away malevolent spirits; A return to cultural and religious roots, mixing symbols of paganism — monsters, beasts, wild creatures — and Catholicism — crosses, priests, wise men, marriage celebrations, resurrection and redemption; Rebellion expressed through the personification of demons and destruction, through cross-dressing and other forms of subversive disguise, through farce and improvised chaos, where the modern and the ancient, ritual and reality confront each other, offering a glimpse of a contemporary world interacting with its deep roots. After the publication of his book A Flower in the Mouth by Visual Anthropology Press, exploring the culture, music and rituals of the folk carnival of Pernambuco in Brazil, Jason embarked on a photographic project spanning twelve countries on four continents. In 2018, he presented a selection of this series in an exhibition entitled Portraits de Carnaval at the BY-Chatel gallery in Paris. His work has also been exhibited in New York, Vienna, Toronto, São Paulo, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.