Sweepers

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

Beneath the dark of an October night, several towering figures known as the Sweepers lead the procession of the NYC Village Halloween Parade to symbolically clear away lingering bad spirits for the festivities ahead. These large-scale puppets, with their expressive, mask-like faces and long-handled brooms, were among the many whimsical creations designed by the parade's founder and legendary puppeteer, Ralph Lee. This black-and-white scene, captured on Tri-X film during the mid-1980s, highlights the otherworldly textures of the puppets' draped garments as they move through the streets of Greenwich Village. A powerful professional strobe light cuts through the darkness, freezing the Sweepers in mid-stride and casting a stark, dramatic glow over their detailed features. The use of a 35mm Pentax camera preserves the raw, energetic atmosphere of the event during an era when it still wound through the neighborhood's narrow side streets.