description: In a kaleidoscope of color and images, The World?s Fair, New Orleans captures the magic of the Louisiana World Exposition, held in New Orleans in 1984. Photographer Joshua Mann Pailet takes us on a visual tour of the fair, focusing on such details as sculptures along the Wonderwall, children playing in the Kid Wash, divers in the Aquacade performances, and crafts of colorful international exhibits. His photographs give us a lasting view of the beauty of that special event in New Orleans, as well as an awareness of the wonderful changes it brought to the city. Entering through either City Gate, with its voluptuous mermaids, or the Bridge Gate, with its colorful carnival heads, the viewer can witness the transformation of a forgotten warehouse district into a fantastic wonderland. The photographs follow the layout of the fair ? from the Centennial Plaza, through the Great Hall, along the Wonderwall, to the Watergarden, Aquacade, Italian Village, and riverfront pavilions. They end with the grand finale of entertainment in the Amphitheatre, partying along Fulton Street, and nightly fireworks. Editorial contributors to the book include Kent Bloomer and Charles Moore, who were designers of the fair; Allen Eskew, principal architect; Paul Stahls, writer for Louisiana Life magazine; and Gary Esolen, publisher of Gambit newspaper. Their essays recount the artistic impetus behind the design and construction of the fair, trace a path a typical fairgoer might have taken, and explain the long-term residual effects of the fair. Also included are extensive appendixes listing the pavilions, performers, and people behind the scenes. More than just a documentary of the fair, the book recreates the fantasy and beauty of a moment passed. The artistic vision Pailet brings to the book is uniquely his. What he photographed, however, is ours forever, captured now in these pages and in our imaginations.
language: English
title: Worlds Fair, New Orleans
titlecomplete: Worlds Fair, New Orleans
publisher: Gallery for Fine Photography