Sandra Mickiewicz

As the Gypsy and Travellers community is a small minority in the hugely diverse British society, my intention was to portray them as sympathetic and sociable people as opposed to the typical stereotypes. I hope this project will contribute to changing the dominant point of view and our thinking about Gypsies and Travellers. Most importantly, I want the audience to realise that the subjects I photograph are valuable members of society. This body of work is still in progress and my aim is capture the resolute, spirited nature of the people I have met and the pride they rightly feel towards their ancestry. I’ve always been interested in the community as I find their lifestyle very interesting. I am really inspired by their culture, clothes they wear and their faces. To me these people stand out from the crowd, even in our everyday life. Because of their backgrounds and “typical stereotypes”, most Gypsies and Travellers had to face the racism and discrimination towards their culture and beliefs. Most of them are forced to hide their identity in order to attain employment or send their children to school. In this project, I want to explore their life traditions, and other aspects in their culture.