RESILIENCE

Photography: Mike Roelofs
Research and text: Fanny Jol

This photographical documentary project deals with the concept of  “Resilience”. Resilience in the context of our project can be defined as the ability of a group or individual to rebound from a problematic situation through flexibility and perseverance. Defining this concept is as dynamical as the concept itself and we consider it an ongoing process.

The research for this project  is an artistic visual and textual exploration of the situation of the Roma in Romania.  There are about 3 million Roma living in Romania. Our focus is on the personal stories of the so-called ‘forgotten’ Roma who do not display their cultural background within the Romanian society through folkloric costume, music or a nomadic existence. These people are often the poorest Roma who live in slums on the outskirts of the Romanian villages and cities. The goal of our project  is to give  a human face  to a group of people that are all too often being marked with prejudices, either romanticized or in a negative way stigmatized.

Made possible by: FONDS BKVB, CULTUURFONDS STRIJP-S