a rare book on the sedentarization of travelers

The Lupovino association, in partnership with the photographer Jeannette Gregori and the artist Django Ettori, publishes the book: “From caravans to pavilions”. One of the few writings on the travel community. Between its pages, with its elaborate aesthetics, it traces the evolution of the Polygone district. And more particularly, the memory of the families of the rue de l’Aéropostale, in Strasbourg.

Rue de l’Aéropostale, the pavilions follow one another, one next to the other. All alike. All fenced. Street of violinists, accordionists, luthiers, harpists, etc. They crisscross the neighborhood that leads to the local Lupovino. Established since 1995, and born from the will of volunteers and inhabitants of the former wasteland to give a voice to the Polygon, the association is at the origin of the publication of this collection of testimonies.

Marie Amalfitano talks about the creation of the association:

“Lupovino was born out of necessity. Families had been forgotten in the field, and surrounded by extremely pejorative vocabulary. It took more than ten years to fix the problems with electricity and water. We developed the association, mediated with the City of Strasbourg. In 2000, she declared it unsanitary. After a lot of ups and downs, the work was finally able to begin in 2008, keeping the families in place. “

A book to remember

In parallel with their associative activity (tutoring, activities, etc.), some members of Lupovino have therefore decided to embark on publishing. Project which took four years to see the light of day. Its authors, close to the families of the district, took care to keep them informed, at each stage, of the modifications made to the model. Marie Amalfitano, former director of Lupovino now retired, and Eric Faure, former director of the district primary school, are among the founders of the association and are therefore bearers of this book project. Jeannette Gregori and Django Ettori, artists, respectively award-winning photographer (especially in photojournalism) and painter, were subsequently associated. The written word is a barrier for the Gypsy community. Their tradition, essentially oral, makes the work a rarity.

So precisely, to keep a trace, for future generations, not to forget, this work was born. The photographs of Jeannette Gregori, the testimonies collected by Marie Amalfitano and Eric Faure, and the portraits drawn with a comb by Django Ettori intertwine to give a voice to the Polygon. Especially since a great nostalgia persists. In one of the pavilions, on the side of the street, Koiros, is one of the first members of Lupovino. He has lived in the field with his family since the 1970s and testifies to the change in the neighborhood:

“Our land was clean, not unsanitary, we had our house, our organization with our caravans. And even a pizza oven! The space was open, not constrained as it is now. The book is beautiful, we find it good, and it shows how it was. It also explains why there is this nostalgia and the problems with the changes. ”

Koiros participated in the birth of Lupovino. He is one of the witnesses interviewed in the book From Caravans to Pavilions.

photo MD / Rue89 Strasbourg / cc).

The Strasbourg photographer Jeannette Gregori, whose works illustrate the testimonies, hopes that his work will be useful to the Gypsy community. She has been working with it for a long time and knows the issues that are specific to them.

“The raison d’être of this book is to leave memorial traces, it is an important part of the Gypsy culture which collapsed with their habitat. Who will remember this unique district, rich in its culture, its travel tradition, its values? This book is there to remind us of that. ”

Jeannette Gregori, photographer specializing in the Gypsy community.

In addition to the memorial aspect, Eric Faure hopes that the work will have a beneficial effect on the neighborhood:

“The book also exists so that the district opens up, that artists want to come there, that the vocabulary around its inhabitants evolves. We want to fight prejudices. The people of the Polygon must be able to make peace with their former life, and take ownership of their new environment ”

Eric Faure, former director of the district primary school and founding member of Lupovino participated in the collection of testimonies and in the creation of the book.

Unsuitable for the needs of its inhabitants, the new Polygon must evolve

An environment completed in 2017 which still does not satisfy the population for which it was intended. The architectural organization of the place, thought out in suburban squares, does not correspond to the lifestyle of the travel community and slows down its social functioning. The book highlights this aspect, and denounces it.

“The road is very busy and therefore dangerous for children, who cannot play outside as before. And with all these fences, there’s nowhere to meet. “

Dogs

The family aspect of the organization of this community is also very strong. Depending on affinities and moments of life, residents indeed move their caravan: from a wedding to an argument, families get closer or avoid each other depending on the events. The rigidity of the pavilions breaks this dynamic. Marie Amalfitano was part of the mediation with the City during the development of the urbanization plan:

“We tried to be as close as possible to their expectations… but with this grid in the street it was not easy. The difficulty is that even though these families have been around each other for years, they were mobile. From the moment they enter a house, they feel stuck. ”

Marie Amalfitano

A manifesto against oblivion

“From caravans to pavilions” is classified in the category of Fine Books. However, it is not just about its visual. Fight against prejudices, and do not forget the inhabitants: the Polygon uses its voice and makes it a committed political work. Especially since the transformation of the land, presented in the book, had already taken place after more than 30 years of occupation of the premises. It is therefore a question of not repeating the same mistakes. Its vocation is to bring back to the good memories of the Eurometropolis a district put aside for too long. So that thirty additional years of oblivion do not weaken the families of the rue de l’Aéropostale a little more.

After a little over four years of living in their new homes, residents of the neighborhood continue to see the appearance of defects. These are only taken into consideration late by the lessor: water heater broken down for six months, kitchen floor flooded for a whole year before an intervention… Eric Faure wants the City to be made aware:

“I am counting on the humanist tradition of Strasbourg, so that the structural problems are resolved”.

Eric Faure

Jeannette Gregori, who spoke with the families on the occasion of the book’s release, expresses a more marked commitment:

“A greater follow-up should be ensured at the level of the houses. There is a need to redevelop a natural environment (parks, vegetation) and playgrounds for children. I hope that “From caravans to pavilions” will challenge the City of Strasbourg, so that these families are neither stigmatized nor forgotten. ”

Jeannette Gregori

This book, packed with memories, is a way to break down the barriers of stigma. He also calls on the Eurometropolis and the City not to make them left behind. Marie Amalfitano, Jeannette Gregori, Eric Faure, and Django Ettori invite the reader to participate in the daily life of families, beyond the myth or prejudices about these travel communities.