Gumby

16x20 inch Black & White print on Epson Art Cotton Smooth 250 gram paper. From the NYC Village Halloween Parade, 1982–86.

Captured on a 35mm Pentax using Kodak Tri-X film, this black-and-white frame highlights the playful ingenuity of the NYC Village Halloween Parade between 1982 and 1986. A powerful professional strobe light, elevated on a pole and hidden behind a mask to draw the crowd's eye, illuminates a parade participant encased in a large, handcrafted Gumby costume. As the figure navigates the street, a dense gathering of spectators is visible in the background, lining the sidewalks and peering out from behind police barricades to catch a glimpse of the festivities against the dark windows of a Greenwich Village townhouse. Breaking the fourth wall from within the green felt-like suit, the man positioned on the right looks directly at the camera with a steady, candid expression. The stark contrast and gritty grain of the film perfectly preserve this slice of New York City street theater, capturing the raw energy and DIY spirit that defined these mid-eighties celebrations.