Memories of Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras will live a little longer in Oxford Street this year, thanks to a slide show of party portraits that will be beamed on strip buildings during autumn.

Project producer Robert McGrath says the images are a diversion from the traditional social pictures found in newspapers.

I wanted to record as much of Mardi Gras as we could but in a far more creative and proactive way, McGrath told Sydney Star Observer.

The slideshow is made up of photos from the Sydney Photobloggers group and students from the Sydney College of the Arts.

Standout photographer and student Nudzejma Avdic said the project had provided a great opportunity to appreciate the gay community in a different way.

Avdic was the project’s lead photographer at the Mardi Gras party and was a major player in downloading and adjusting the images. She shot her compelling images -“ of punters posed stiffly in costume but with no facial expression -“ in front of a toilet door.

I wanted people to have no expression on their face. It was very confrontational with people looking straight at the camera, Avdic said.

I didn’t want the viewer to tell what the person was feeling nor for them to be social pictures. I want people to focus on the individual and their personality. It’s also a sample of the gay and lesbian community. I’m hoping the audience gets a more personal feel of who they are.

Shooting in such an energetic environment, the biggest challenge was getting people not to smile, she said.

The final pictures of the slide show will be used in publicity and promotion for next year’s Mardi Gras festival.

The slideshow can be seen at 72 Oxford St, Darlinghurst.