While studying abroad in Istanbul in 2002, Swedish photographer Stefan Bladh had a friend show him neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city to get a fuller view of Turkish society. One morning, they passed a motorway bridge and saw a group sitting around a campfire. When he went over to talk to them, the family of 11 welcomed Bladh and his guide with tea. “They were very open and told us about their situation and life,” he says. “I got very touched. They were so humble and had an open mentality, so I decided to go back.”
[slidepress gallery=’bladh_thefamily’] Hover over the image for navigation and full screen controls Stefan Bladh The Family play this essay Stefan has been following a Tur…
Stefan has been following a Turkish nomadic family for seven years. He is invited to stay as their friend and lives close together with them from time to time. He finds them through their mobile phone in various places throughout the country, living in cramped conditions without heat, electricity, clean water or proper sewer systems, in abandoned house skeletons and under motorway bridges. Difficulties with money, health care, and welfare rights take turns playing havoc on their lives, and every day is a struggle to keep the whole of the large family alive.
