How did you first learn about the New Gypsies and what drew you to photograph them?
I photographed the New Age Travellers in the mid-80s when they were living in buses. I was fascinated by this sort of idea. Back in the 60’s you had hippies in buses, and then in the 80’s it was really kind of post-punk punks in buses in the landscape. And I thought the anarchy and beauty together was really interesting… the two elements coming together with this sort of subculture. So, that was the initial fascination. Then, I returned in 2001 to see where they are now, and I found to my surprise that this small tribe had evolved from the bus to the horse and wagon. And, I just thought that was awesome – that they had gone completely pure; that there was no kind of hypocrisy in that. Because living in a bus, anyone can do that. So this sort of hybrid of renegade rebels had realized there was a better way of doing it. It was a natural sort of evolution. I just thought it was really interesting and very romantic.

Your documentary photography work focuses a lot on different subversive groups/movements, the New Gypsies being among them. What is it that attracts you about these outsiders?
I’ve always been interested in kind of colorful people. That’s what I like about this tribe – they’re so individual really. They’re thinking for themselves. They’re not moronic or unoriginal. What they’re doing, how they’re living and what they’re actually about is really quite wild because there’s so little of it now. There’s so little of people really standing out and being heroic…there’s no imagination anymore. It’s just recycling the “before.”