I was invited to participate in Roma London after working with
Manuela Zanotti in a show that I initiated and curated in 2009 called RePlace for [noplaceprojects*], (an arts initiative that I front showing photography and moving image with an emphasis on place and people). I was attracted to this project, because the photographs would be the work of non-photographers, teenage Roma girls, and I was really excited to be working with pictures that were fresh and not the end-result of too much photo theory. I was also attracted to the humanitarian aspect of the Roma London venture.
The main challenge was to edit the participants’ pictures in with Manuela’s, presenting an intimate view of the girls’ lives and families. I was able to bring my photo editing skills to the collaboration, and realised that the best way to fuse all this material, was to select and present an overview of the images, creating a unified body of work. In the end, the work was narrowed down to about a hundred and twenty images, and was purposefully displayed in a way that would establish a dialogue not only between the pictures, but also with the viewer, who would be invited into the world of these young women. I am very pleased with the outcome of the exhibition, and I am hoping by showing Roma people in a positive light, that some negative myths might have been dispelled.