The New Gypsies (9 Photos)
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| All Photos © Iain McKell. Above: Hazel, 2008. |
In his book The New Gypsies (Prestel), photographer Iain McKell presents his portraits of a real group of present-day nomads whose culture is built around ideals of freedom, nature, and simplicity. The movement that gave rise to this culture began in 1986, when a group of post-punk anti-Thatcher protesters headed out of London into the English countryside. McKell followed them to the West Country and watched them over the years as they became a hybrid tribe—what he calls the “new gypsies.” Also known as “horse-drawn,” they are present-day rural anarchists, living a subversive lifestyle in elaborately decorated horse-drawn caravans. These new gypsies share a desire for sustainability, a love of self-reliance and a disdain for the trappings of contemporary life.
The work featured in The New Gypsies will be on display in an exhibition at the Clic Gallery, 255 Centre Street, New York, New York. The exhibition will run from August 29 through October 2, 2011, with an opening reception on September 15 from 6 to 8pm.
The Delany Family.
Del, 2003.
Stonehenge, Summer Solstice, 2006.
Pete, 2006.
Wickerman Festival, Scotland.
Stonehenge, Winter Solstice, 2007.
The big green gathering, 2006.
Somewhere near Bristol, 2008.
August 29th, 2011 at 2:26 pm EEDT
This looks like quite a fine project.
August 29th, 2011 at 2:59 pm EEDT
Absolutely mesmerizing. Leaving the viewer wanting and needing more information on their story makes these very simple portraits absolutely perfect. Bravo, bravo, bravo.
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August 30th, 2011 at 7:46 am EEDT
That lady looks like one of my relatives. Great pictures.
August 31st, 2011 at 1:39 am EEDT
Really enjoyed looking at this..Thank you.
September 2nd, 2011 at 1:48 pm EEDT
Great set of portraits.
September 3rd, 2011 at 7:11 pm EEDT
really beautiful, stunning infact, can these be bought in book form?
September 4th, 2011 at 5:54 pm EEDT
Remarkable, I was struck by the timeless quality of the imagery, other than better dentistry these could be photographs of people prior to the renaissance.
The character and emotion is absolutely haunting.
December 7th, 2011 at 10:38 pm EEDT
Beautiful portraits, well done.
March 10th, 2012 at 11:05 pm EEDT
I think these are the most beautiful portraits & photos I have ever seen. How do take a photograph this beautiful of a person? You have blessed eye…