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vodou, sex, death and revolution

Photo: Leah Gordon

Getting ready for All Hallow’s Eve and finding inspiration in haunting theater, characters in masque, vodou history and performative revolution…
I’ve been looking at book of photographs by Leah Gordon called Kanaval. For years Gordon has documented the pre-Lent Mardi Gras festivities in Jacmel, a costal tone in southern Haiti. (All the images in this book were taken before the earthquake earlier this year.)
Unlike other carnival festivities (Rio, New Orleans) the celebrations in Jacmel are honestly weird and sometimes frightening. Quite different than most “dress up” here in the U.S., these street theater performers are actually telling unique culturally specific stories through the characters they inhabit. Gordon’s photographs showcase an amazingly inventive form of self-expression. Raw. Real. Homemade.
Take note.
Photo: Leah Gordon
Photo: Leah Gordon
Photo: Leah Gordon
Photo: Leah Gordon