London based photographer Iain McKell offers an extraordinary glimpse into the lives of a real and raw group of present-day nomads whose culture is built around ideals of freedom, nature, and simplicity. The
New Gypsies are British horse drawn travelers. The movement began in 1986 when a group of Post-Punk Anti-Thatcher protesters headed out of London into the English countryside.
Iain McKell spent the last ten years documenting and living with travelers of all ages: parents, children, couples and loners. His use of fashion aesthetics, a romanticized pallet of colors, and his intentional rejection of many of the visual traits of traditional documentary photography, offers a beautiful series of photographs of this invisible and ignored community.
Known for his work around youth subculture, Iain McKell's photographs have appeared in numerous major publications such a i-D, V, Italian Vogue and Sunday Times.
@Iain McKell
The New Gypsies at Clic Gallery, NYC
August 29 - October 2, 2011
Opening reception and book launching