Political parades treat the street not as space, but as a vessel. A carnival is the opposite: it appears as a spontaneous flow; it is more an experience of movement and flow than knowledge of its direction. Political parades, like congregations or gatherings of worshippers, are shaped by their purpose. Carnivals are shaped by fun.

Jalan Malioboro, Yogyakarta, last June: a flashmob. On this main thoroughfare on a traffic-free day, boys ap