Travelling Home

This photographic social documentary (2019-ongoing) preserves the experiences of the Traveling and Gypsy communities in the North West of Britain on their annual pilgrimage to Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria.

The road I live on in the north-west of England that connects Yorkshire to Cumbria, and so every summer, Travellers make their way past my window on their way to Appleby Horse Fair. Developing a curiosity for this annual pilgrimage taking place across my daily landscapes, my recent short film Travelling Home and surrounding photo series, aims to preserve the experiences of the Gypsy and Travelling communities across the north-west.

The photographic social documentary is a continuation of the deep immersion of my image making into local communities and my ongoing focus on people and their connections to their landscapes and the natural world. This series celebrates the rich culture and heritage of the Appleby Horse Fair — a British tradition dating as far back as 1685.

Since 2019, I’ve set off on walks, meeting families en route to the fair on well-worn rural roads, in lay-bys with bow-top wagons, on horseback, or using motor vehicles, all with the aim to frame portraits of a diverse range of fairgoers, in this yearly focal point for the horse trade. Over the years, I have been warmly welcomed by families, sitting with them through all kinds of weather and hearing their lifelong memories of Appleby capturing groups and individual characters on my analogue camera.

Everything starts with conversation. I never underestimate the intimacy of taking someone's portrait. Sometimes, people ask me or parents ask me to take group pictures, while other times, I approach them explaining my work and gather contact details to send their photos later.

With an analogue camera, the slower process allows us time together. The best portraits are collaborative, where we decide together what to capture and where. I treat each portrait as if photographing my own family, knowing how meaningful these images become over time.

Up against the ongoing marginalisation of the Travelling and Gypsy community, my photography (and short film) serves as a counter to countless negative media portrayals and the exclusion of these communities in non-Travelling environments. Travelling hopes to shine a light on the community’s journeys and question a culture of discrimination. It feels more important than ever to preserve the collective strength of their rich ancestral heritage, I will continue to photograph what I see; family, ceremony, gentleness and tradition.

A portrait from the series was a winner of a Portrait of Humanity by The British Journal of Photography in 2020 and the short has been selected for four BAFTA qualifying film festivals, and nominated as a finalist in the Yarns short film competition, a programme created by Stitch Editing.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/998639786

Website: https://julietklottrup.com/

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/julietklottrup/