Headless

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

This black-and-white photograph, shot with a 35mm Pentax on Kodak Tri-X film, captures the macabre creativity of the NYC Village Halloween Parade between 1982 and 1986. A powerful Norman 200B flash cuts through the night, illuminating a parade participant in a towering, blood-spattered costume that evokes a sense of gothic horror. The figure, draped in heavy, stained fabric and adorned with a large metallic medallion, tilts their head back as if letting out a silent cry toward the night sky. In a striking break from the theatrical pose, the individual positioned on the right side of the frame peers out from behind their mask, looking directly at the camera with a steady and haunting intensity. The gritty grain of the film enhances the raw, documentary feel of this Greenwich Village scene, immortalizing a moment of chilling performance art in the heart of the city.