Carnivals of the World

As a young photographer in London having completed his post-graduate studies, Marcelo Bendahan had the opportunity of working with the British photo agency, Performing Arts Library. They specialized in photography of music, dance, opera, and festivals. Coming to this exciting work without haven been a musician or performer meant that he brought a fresh eye and after a few years he developed an understanding of movement, rhythm, action and the possibilities all these offer us to produce beautiful photography. Wanting to explore other fields of performing arts beyond the limited space of a theatre or an auditorium, he started an exploration of the arts spectacle that is the Carnival. In 1999 he went to Venice-Italy to photograph its Carnival there. He found what he wanted: an enormous display of imagination and fantasy, combined with a strong desire of people to express their traditions, culture and passions through costume, masks, dances, and music. Each year since, he has traveled to one pre-Lenten Carnival. This project has taken him to Basel, Switzerland, Binche, Belgium, Dunkerque and Nice in France, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Barranquilla in Colombia, Oruro in Bolivia, Mazatlan in Mexico, Jacmel in Haiti, Port of Spain, Trinidad, Cadiz in Spain, Cologne in Germany and Mardi Grass in New Orleans, USA. After 14 Carnivals, the time to present this book has come. Along with the strong visuals of Carnival, essays by a collection of writers will explain the significance of Carnival universally and the particulars of each local celebration. Carnivals of the World is also a study of color; it explores how people express their emotions through colorful dresses and movement and invites the reader to think on how important it is to live with a touch of imagination and fantasy.