The magazine of the art-form of the photo-essay
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker
Jan 2016 back issue
by Mario Marino
Every photograph is a single ticket to time travelling. Of course, every image does have the power to conserve
individual and sometimes collective memories of yesterday´s moments for tomorrow. Occasionally though, they seem
to spiral us into an endless loop of past and present, in which nobody will be able to locate our place in time.
Take the Ascot Races; one those last timeless events where tradition dresses all those present in some kind of
antiquated dress code. Mario Marino had to get into a tailor-made grey cutaway and matching top hat, to be dressed
appropriately for this time travel. The British would modestly describe his bespoke attire as ‘morning dress’, but this is
the fine kind of fabric that can open doors on this island. And it did. On his second visit to the legendary Ascot horse
track in the county of Berkshire, Marino ended up taking portraits of the upper classes in the midst of the Royal
Enclosure. The German-born visitor moved with ease from here on to those off centre picnic tables, where tradesmen,
clerks and small town shopkeepers happily exchanged jokes with him on the good and bad of British tradition.
The Ascot horse races date back to 1711. The annual Royal Ascot horse racing week in mid-June was started by King
George IV. Even today, Queen Elizabeth II proudly takes her splendid old horse carriage over from nearby Windsor
Castle each day of the races. If you look closer, you´ll find quite a few watery eyes in the crowds as the elderly monarch
waves to her subjects on her daily lap of honour. On a good day at the races, some 25,000 visitors will join their queen
on the turf.
Mario Marino was not drawn to this place by those fine race horses and not by the presence of blue blood amongst all
those visitors. He was attracted by the special lure of this place which attracts all walks of life, all classes and is utterly
timeless.
