Rex, King of Mardi Gras

As the Mardi Gras season draws near, In the Studio looks back to last year’s Mardi Gras and goes behind the scenes with the Krewe of Rex, New Orleans’s oldest parading organisation, to see how the masters of carnival create their mobile sculptures.

New Orleans reporter, Betsy Shepherd follows Rex’s creative team for a year - the length of time it takes to make the ornate floats that are the fixture of Mardi Gras street parades. But the last couple of years have turned out to be anything but typical. She speaks with creative director Henri Schindler and his team of artisans about the history and craft surrounding this most ephemeral of art forms as well as the challenges and delights of building a fantasy world amidst a pandemic.

What did the 2021 Mardi Gras season bring? Join Betsy for a parade of sounds from Mardi Gras’s most ardent practitioners as they work to keep the spirit of carnival alive.

Presented by Betsy Shepherd
Produced by Betsy Shepherd and Ella-mai Robey for the BBC World Service

Image Courtesy of the Rex Organization