Spirit Of J'Ouvert

It's an Afro-Caribbean called J’Ouvert – or ‘The Opening’ – and takes place just after dawn each year as a prelude to the main, more famous Notting Hill Carnival in London. The boisterous, freedom-loving and expressive ritual involves dancing, drinking and throwing talc – an event deeply rooted in the anti-slavery movement of the Caribbean and indigenous folklore. To capture the chaotic energy of this important cultural event, the photographer captured all the images at extremely slow shutter speeds – while embedded within the heaving crowds. The series is part of a wider body of work capturing festivals all over the world which are now featuring in in international photography galleries all over the world.