Unrelated to the Roma, the new Gypsies began in 1986 when a group of Post-Punk Anti-Thatcher protesters headed out of London into the English countryside. McKell followed these New Age Travellers to the West Country and over the years he watched them become a hybrid tribe?the new Gypsies? present-day rural anarchists, living in elaborately decorated horse-drawn caravans. Known as "Horsedrawn," the new gypsies share a desire for sustainability, a love of self-reliance, and a disdain for the trappings of contemporary life. For more than a decade McKell has focused his lens on travellers of all ages: parents, children, couples, and loners. With sensitivity and honesty he captures a way of life that seems at once romantic, strange, beautiful, and simple. The result is a deeply insightful portrayal of a culture that eschews the traditional creature comforts of urban life in favour of the simplicity and freedom of the natural world. AUTHOR: Iain McKell is an internationally known photographer whose work has appeared in numerous major publications such as V, Sunday Times, i-D, and Italian Vogue. 80 colour illustrations
