Harlequins

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

A powerful professional strobe light, cleverly hidden behind a mask on a pole to grab attention, illuminates this black-and-white scene from the NYC Village Halloween Parade between 1982 and 1986. Shot on Kodak Tri-X film with a 35mm Pentax, the photograph captures two harlequins in ruffled collars and whiteface makeup, their expressions frozen in mid-shout as they tilt their heads toward the elevated flash. To the left, a man in glasses breaks from the theatricality of the crowd, looking directly at the camera with a subtle, knowing smile. On the far right, another parade participant stands with a rubber duck perched atop his head, adding to the surreal, spontaneous energy of the Greenwich Village night. The gritty grain of the film preserves this moment of street performance, highlighting the unique interaction between the strobe light and the spirited celebrators.