Mardi Gras and us - By Stacy Farrar

PHOTOGRAPHER MAZZ IMAGE IS CELEBRATING MARDI GRAS’ 25TH ANNIVERSARY BY SHARING SOME OF HER FAVOURITE FESTIVAL PICTURES WITH THE WORLD

You and Mardi Gras is a record of Mazz Image’s 15 years of Mardi Gras – the festivals, the parades, the parties.

In hardcover and full colour, the book is 204 pages, with 400 photos of Sydney’s queer history.

It has all of the expected party and parade photos, as well as everything else that makes up the Mardi Gras month.

“It’s a variety – there’s lots of the party and the parade but there’s also things like poetry readings at Government House and mature-aged gays flying kites at Sydney Park. It’s to remind people of what makes Mardi Gras so important,” Mazz says.

“Mardi Gras is about more than one night’s party. It crosses all levels of the community and also extends to other events throughout the year.”

Mazz has long thought of releasing a book of Mardi Gras photos, and the dramas of the past year – the old Mardi Gras organisation sliding into voluntary administration and the rebirth of the new Mardi Gras – as well as the upcoming anniversary told her 2003 was the right time to do it.

“Mardi Gras is going through a transition period. It’s not going to end, but it is going to be different,” she says.

The book will be launched in February next year to coincide with the Mardi Gras festival. Mazz is also planning to exhibit a range of the published images in a gallery as well as at the launch party.

There are a range of pre-launch packages available for book buyers and sponsors.

Pre-launch packages start at $160 – which includes an individually numbered, personalised and autographed book and a double invitation to the VIP party. The $160 packages are $20 cheaper than the retail price of the book.

The next step up, $255 packages, include the book, additional print in the book, invitation to the party and an invitation to dance on the first ever Mazz Image Mardi Gras float.

And the Gold packages for $425 include a framed copy of any original print from the Mazz Image archive, a chance to win one of 10 portrait shoots with Mazz and a VIP invitation to the Gold launch party. In addition, people who buy a Gold package before Monday 25 November have a chance to tell their own Mardi Gras story in the book.

A number of sponsorship packages are also available. Sponsors need to sign on before Tuesday 26 November to include their logo in the book.

For credit card orders or more information call 9555 8856 or visit www.mazzimage.com