[A5 40 Page]
A selection of photographs of traveller vehicles
Gatherings in the open air with music are as old as anything human beings have ever done. Some of the tensions that result on the use of land probably began between the farmers and the hunter-gatherers of the Stone Age!
Throughout history, travelling lifestyle has always continued. With the free festival circuit developing through the 1980’s people escaping from Maggie’s decimation of jobs and the inner cities, numbers grew looking for alternatives.
People looked at the various examples provided by gypsies here and in Europe. To nomadic people across the world. To try life outside the house in many different ways and to pick and select those means that make life comfortable, easy and meaningful. The ‘bender’, the Indian ‘tipi’, the Moroccan ‘yurt’, the Romany ‘bow top’, the western two-man tent, the truck and the double decker bus.
Suddenly, life on the road in an old £300 1960’s bus, truck or trailer seemed like a bloody good option weighed against the prospect of life on the dole – what was a poor boy to do. Five of you – £60 each , forget about the Tax and Insurance, let’s just chuck a few mattresses in the back of the Bella Vega and head for the nearest festival where we will be welcomed with open arms and be swallowed up into the new age traveller / festival family; anarchists, venusians, pikies, pixies, conspiracy fugitives, old school, new school, never been to fucking school – wheeler, dealers, medicine spielers – tryers, flyers, out and out liars – saints, sinners, all of them winners – all of them strangers in their own very strange land.
‘Pageturner’ video at:
