Photographer Anna Fox's best shot

I like photographing village life. I concentrate on its performance side – the village play, the pram race – as a way into the performance of life itself and, if you like, how one has to perform to live in a ­village. I was very much struck by these two girls. It was 2006 and they were in a pram race in a Hampshire ­village; everyone dresses up and races around, one person pushing a pram, ­another in it. I've been taking ­photographs for around 30 years now and have a very specific idea of what I'm looking for. The blue sky was ­important. I took two shots actually, one with blue shiny wigs, one without. As soon as they took the wigs off, I ­realised how odd it all looked: the masks look like their real faces, in the way they blend in. The main influence for this shot – part of a set of photographs called Back to the Village that I began in 1999 – are the Benjamin Stone ­photographs, in the Birmingham ­Central ­Library ­archive. They are from the turn of the ­century: quirky, black- and-white images of village rituals, with ­often quite straightforward ­portraits of people in ­bizarre ­costumes. What's ­interesting is how timeless they are. When people are dressed up, it's hard to date a ­picture. The results can be uncanny – and fascinating. I grew up in a village and still live in one. They're of great interest to me. It's not simply about recording things ­before they disappear, I want to make a comment about everyday life. There's a lot that can be said that isn't being said in programmes like The Archers. I'm using the masked performances as a metaphor: under the surface, things are a little more sinister. Anna Fox is part of the Deutsche Börse 2010 exhibition, at the Photographer's Gallery, London W1, which ends 17 April. Details: 0845 262 1618. CV Born: Alton, ­Hampshire, 1961. Studied: Surrey ­Institute, Farnham.Influences: Diane Arbus, Paul Graham. High point: Right now. A few things have come up at the same time: ­publications, group shows, being ­nominated for the ­Deutsche Börse prize. Dream subject: To photograph Butlins in Bognor Regis. It's perfect, a little ­community all its own.