DANCING WITH GHOSTS

An ofrenda, or family altar shrine, at a Day Of The Dead celebration in Phoenix, Nov. 2, 2023.

By MICHAEL PERKINS

THERE ARE STILL SIZABLE STRETCHES OF AMERICA for which Dia De Los Meuertos, or the Day Of The Dead, remains a cultural asterisk, in contrast with those regions where it is sacred, mournful and celebratory, all at once. For a quarter century, I have lived in such a region, as the Valley of the Sun, or metro Phoenix, Arizona, is pretty much ground zero for the beautiful commemoration of family and spirituality that occurs in Hispanic neighborhoods each November 1st and 2nd. Catholics can specifically relate to the same calendar dates, as they coincide with the historic holidays of All Saints and All Souls Days. Also, scholars will remind us that Halloween, or the Eve Of All Hallows, which directly precedes November, was originally a time for dressing up as one’s patron saint. And therein lies the best connection to Dia De Los Muertos.

This year, I was invited to a DDLM festival held, where else?…in a cemetery, hosting a spectacular array of ofrendas, or the miniature altar-like shrines dedicated to departed members of one’s family. Precious photographs and votive candles are the main features, which are quickly expanded to include personal mementos of the dear ones, as well as endless sprays of bright pastel paper flowers, radiantly patterned hanging pennants, and, at this particular gathering, lots and lots of food. The dead are summoned by the endless skeletal figurines and sugar skulls that festoon every inch of every offrenda, and many of the celebrants themselves sport skull faces created with both mask and makeup. The atmosphere is never one of grief alone, but sadness alloyed with joy, as well as gratitude for the memories left us by our most beloved.

Dance and song narrow the gap between the “realities” of life and death.

Obviously the supernaturally tinged flavor of DDLM is paradise for a photographer, and I find myself trying to do justice to the sweetly spooky vibe by making images that are beyond mere documentation. It’s challenging to try to optically suggest a feeling, but it’s also rewarding when something unexpected makes it into the camera. This year, in using a lateral fisheye to twist the concept of space and thus suggest a kind of dream state, I also had to get comfortable with a bit of blur or distortion, as if I were able to capture ghosts in mid-dance, rendering the vanished visible, if even for a moment.

As Shakespeare said, there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy, and seeing so many people in one place taking so much solace in re-connecting to those who have gone before creates a tremendous, electrical release of energy. Trying to make images of something that floats tantalizingly between life and death is an adventure I can’t resist.