Jilo (Pron. Yee-low)
We asked what the Romanes word 'Jilo' meant, and how one describes it to non-Roma people. We gathered responses from the public to 3 prompt questions, incl. "How do you keep an open heart when life feels hard?"​​
The Forest Room
Memory & Nature
Childhood memories and a desire to be out in nature came through in conversations, about the places they left before they came to the UK, places they wish they could visit and what relaxes them. A zen environment was created, and proved very popular with the young Roma!
The Soundscape
During Jilo Bradford, we wanted to capture the sessions in action so we could represent how they felt as authentically as possible. In the soundscape you will hear audio of the Bradford workshops, where the women discuss various things - places they’ve lived, what Jilo means to them, what they would like people who visit the exhibition to experience, struggles in the Roma community today and why they like England. The songs you hear are traditional Roma songs, one is a traditional song about a girl who dances around a fire, which partly inspired the Fire Words part of the exhibition.
Fire Words
Eastern European, Romani & English
During the sessions, we spoke in depth about important feelings, sounds, smells, tastes and sights. We have gathered them together in the form of a fire full of words - a place of joy, connection and warmth. Our fire of words is made from upcycled block board and words are laser engraved in English, Romanes, Czech and Slovakian. These words were gathered when exploring both the positive and negative sensory world of Bradford, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Montage Video
During Jilo Bradford, there was a lot of discussion around the importance of family, what it means to be an independent woman, young people and their futures. We asked the Roma women to submit photos and footage of themselves and their families cooking, celebrating and existing in their everyday lives.
​
Portraits
Photographer Gabby Laurent photographed 9 of the Roma women, resulting in a wall of portraits. They included elements of clothing that nod to traditional Roma costume but also maintain the modern energy of the women we encountered.
Emotional Map
Our designer led the group through an exercise that asked what colours associate best with 1) the women’s feelings whilst living in their country of birth, 2) feelings upon arrival in the UK, 3) feelings associated with living in the various UK communities they now find themselves in and 4) a colour to represent a feeling associated with their experience of contributing to the exhibition. Each of these colours were mapped onto a quilt, creating a piece of textile art.
Gathering Table
Food is a central part of the Roma identity. Every time we met with our Roma community we ate together. Then in the exhibition, the table contained a daily offering of food for visitors and would be a gathering space for people to sit, talk and eat.
Creative Team
Barrel Organ | Rosie Gray, Jameela Khan, Ali Pidsley & Dan Hutton
European Drom | Translation Support
Sascha Gilmour | Designer
Kieran Lucas | Soundscape
Tom Mills | Builder
Gabby Laurent | Photographer
Fly Girls Films & Roma Group | Exhibition Videos
Wemmy Ogunyankin | Documentation Photography
​​