honorable mention
Alain Schroeder belgium
title
Lelo
Nobody really knows the origin of the game but it has been played for centuries. It starts the day before Easter Sunday with the whole village going to church for the midnight mass, lighting candles and making a procession around the church.
But the next day things are getting serious. Hundreds of men divided in 2 teams, the upper (Zemo Shukhuti) and lower (Kvemo Shukhuti) parts of the town compete fiercely for the 16 kg leather ball filled with sand and wine.
The game has no rules, no time limits and no limit to the number of participants. And things do get a little violent. In fact, as a spectators you never see the ball, as it immediately disappears under a pile of men and dust.
The anarchic game starts in the centre of the village, and players have to carry the ball over to one of the streams of the opposite side ( approximate 500 meters away from each other). Everything between the streams form the game area, including courtyards and orchards. Once the ball crosses the stream the game is over.
The winner village takes the ball, which becomes a relic and a symbol of victory, to the cemetery and place it as an offering at the grave of someone who recently passed away. The day ends with a supra (a traditional get-together giant picnic) in the graveyard. Toasts are made for past games, and in honor of relatives and friends who have passed away.
In 2014, lelo burti, was inscribed by the government of Georgia as a «nonmaterial monument» of culture.
In 2013, he uprooted his life, trading-in his shares in Reporters, to pursue life on the road with a camera. Schroeder now travels the world shooting stories focusing on social issues, people and their environment. «I am not a single shot photographer. I think in series,» he says adding, «I strive to tell a story in 10-15 pictures, capturing the essence of an instant with a sense of light and framing.»
He has won many international awards including Nikon Japan, Nikon Belgium, TPOTY, Istanbul Photo, Days Japan, Trieste Photo, PX3, IPA, MIFA, BIFA, PDN, the Fence, Lens Culture, Siena, POYI and World Press Photo.
He is represented in France by REA.
Website: https://alainschroeder.myportfolio.com
Instagram: alainschroeder
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entry description
Orthodox Easter Sunday in the small village of Shukhuti.Nobody really knows the origin of the game but it has been played for centuries. It starts the day before Easter Sunday with the whole village going to church for the midnight mass, lighting candles and making a procession around the church.
But the next day things are getting serious. Hundreds of men divided in 2 teams, the upper (Zemo Shukhuti) and lower (Kvemo Shukhuti) parts of the town compete fiercely for the 16 kg leather ball filled with sand and wine.
The game has no rules, no time limits and no limit to the number of participants. And things do get a little violent. In fact, as a spectators you never see the ball, as it immediately disappears under a pile of men and dust.
The anarchic game starts in the centre of the village, and players have to carry the ball over to one of the streams of the opposite side ( approximate 500 meters away from each other). Everything between the streams form the game area, including courtyards and orchards. Once the ball crosses the stream the game is over.
The winner village takes the ball, which becomes a relic and a symbol of victory, to the cemetery and place it as an offering at the grave of someone who recently passed away. The day ends with a supra (a traditional get-together giant picnic) in the graveyard. Toasts are made for past games, and in honor of relatives and friends who have passed away.
In 2014, lelo burti, was inscribed by the government of Georgia as a «nonmaterial monument» of culture.
about the photographer
Belgian photographer Alain Schroeder (b. 1955) has been working in the industry for over four decades. During his tenure as a sports photographer in the 80s, his shots appeared on more than 500 magazine covers. Book assignments and editorial pieces with subjects as diverse as travel, art, culture and human interest followed and in 1989, he co-founded the Belgian photo agency, Reporters. Schroeder led the business during the golden years of photography and into the digital age.In 2013, he uprooted his life, trading-in his shares in Reporters, to pursue life on the road with a camera. Schroeder now travels the world shooting stories focusing on social issues, people and their environment. «I am not a single shot photographer. I think in series,» he says adding, «I strive to tell a story in 10-15 pictures, capturing the essence of an instant with a sense of light and framing.»
He has won many international awards including Nikon Japan, Nikon Belgium, TPOTY, Istanbul Photo, Days Japan, Trieste Photo, PX3, IPA, MIFA, BIFA, PDN, the Fence, Lens Culture, Siena, POYI and World Press Photo.
He is represented in France by REA.
Website: https://alainschroeder.myportfolio.com
Instagram: alainschroeder
back to gallery