Sidelines
Rio Carnival
Sidelines examines the social and economic layers of Brazil’s most famous celebration. Carnival is not only a week of spectacle – it’s a year-long economy. Entire neighbourhoods depend on its preparation, from costume makers and musicians to drivers and street vendors. The project looks beyond the parades to the people whose livelihoods and identities are woven into the event, tracing how creativity and survival intersect in one of the most unequal societies on earth, where the Gini coefficient remains among the highest globally.
Photographed on Rio’s streets, venues, and neighbourhoods, the series reveals the unseen lives behind the main performance – the human infrastructure that drives the festival. The work earned a “Highly Commended” (honourable mention) distinction in The Observer Hodge Award in 2005.
