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Spring, 2020 i
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MEWS
Exhibition aim is to
misconceptions
Gypsy, Romo and Traveller communities are the subject ofonline display (photos: Antony Weir and Georgia Bond)
ome ofBritain’s most overlooked ethnic groups are the focus of a new exhibition of photos that
can be viewed online. Titled Generations, it
shines a spotlight on Coven- try’s Gypsy Roma Traveller community, launched online this month to coincide with International Romani Day.
The exhibit ion features images of Roma families cap- tured by photographer An- tony Weir, and was intended to go on show at the city’s Bel- grade Theatre.
And, although the physi- cal display has been post- poned due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, a selection of images is now available to be viewed online.
The project has been or- ganised with Coventry
University's Cen- tre for Dance Research as
part ofthe ongoing
Roma
Project,
an ini-
tiative
founded
to tackle
the ex-
ploitation
ofthe Roma community
and to advance
their social inclusion in Coventry.
Antony Weir has a var- ied portfolio encompassing landscape, gig and portrait nhotoeranhv.
He curates the ‘Weir ar- chive’, the collection of his grandfather John’s life’s work in photos, many of which focus upon Coventry’s post- war transformations.
Georgia Bond, who has also worked on the project, focuses primarily on col- laborative, socially engaged projects, exploring how photography can be used as a tool to represent and give voice to people and enabling those she works with to be part of her creative process.
Through her work, she explores the positive impact that art can have on commu- nities, and particularly on young people.
Rosa Cisneros of the Roma Project and a research artist at Coventry Univer- sity’s Centre for Dance Re- search said: “This is the first
time a mf\jor cultural heritage organi-
sation like the Belgrade
Theatre has opened its
doors to the Roma
commu-
nity in Coven-
try. “We
are so ex- cited to col-
laborate and to co-create mean-
ingful work that offers a counter-narrative to com- mon misconceptions.”
Visit www.belgrade. co.uk/stories/generations- online to view the irnaees.