Sophie Green

The lives of horses and Travellers have always been strongly intertwined going right back to their very origins as Travellers. Whilst nowadays modern caravans have largely replaced the traditional horse and cart, the horse still remains an integral part of the Travellers’ DNA.

The main calendar events of the Traveller world are horse fairs, where horses are traded, girls search for husbands and family and friends from far and wide reunite. It was through this window that I was able to capture the nuances that comprise this colourful aspect of their culture. My shoots took me to regional horse fairs from Appleby in Cumbria, across to Ballianasloe in Ireland, all the way south to Wickham horse fair in Portsmouth. It was a surprising, compelling and beguiling journey.

I loved the vibrancy and showmanship of the fairs, they are totally mesmerising. Whilst shooting I often felt like I had gone back in time – incredible faces, theatrical outfits, traditional carts, gleaming horses, cockerel fights, singing birds and fortune-tellers. I became obsessed with small details – the fashion, makeup, eyebrows, hairstyles, market fakes, leather, bits and whips. The process was very organic and the series is a spontaneous, intuitive reaction to what I observed.

I didn’t want ‘Gypsy Gold’ to become a deep, meaningful, intellectual narrative but to simply record what caught my eye and made me smile. It’s a series of fun incidentals that come together to tell a visual story. I hope the series provides the viewer with a new understanding and appreciation of Traveller culture. For all the criticism that Travellers attract, I found plenty of gold.

– Words by Sophie Green

Rain, more rain, intoxicated teens, drum & bass, burn outs, flat caps, tattoos, gold chains, piercings, eccentric hair, sun shine, tank tops, topless chests, slush puppies, hot dogs, chips, chicks, fast cars, pimped out cars, racer boy heaven – A day at the races.

This project has taken me to regional racetracks and super-sized car festivals – where the racing community compete, socialise with like minded car enthusiasts, exchange the latest tips on car modification, enjoy all-night raves and have their picture taken with pouting promo models. These events provide the ultimate escapism from working life and a social space for youths to meet away from the parental home.

One of the most notorious and misunderstood youth subcultures of the last 30 years is the ’boy racer’ scene. Young motorists are stigmatised due to the tendency to label car modifiers as ‘boy racers’. This sensationalist and politically charged term endorses an image of a young male driving a modified car with a spoiler, alloys, lowered suspension, loud exhaust and stereo system which has become intertwined with notions of deviance and risk on the roads. Since their birth on the scene boy racers have been deemed as a threat to the majority of ‘respectable’ motorists.

For me one of the most compelling notions to come out of this series is the theme of masculinity. The more I explored the community, the more questions were raised. What does racing mean for this group of youths? How much of its appeal is about esteem, achievement, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect and respect from others?

The car has always been symbolic of how well one is doing in society and within the racing world this is even more exaggerated. It’s a modern day version of peacocking. For these youths, the car is a vital tool in progressing their journey through the road of life.

The art of modification is a realisation of self-expression and creativity. It brings individuals together in a unique cultural melting pot to revel in the excitement and escapism it gives from everyday life.‘A Day At The Races’ is a timely spotlight on what kids in souped-up cars are doing today – in every town in the UK. It offers a new and refreshingly positive commentary on this colorful social aspect of British culture.

– Words by Sophie Green