Rose of the Desert

To coincide with the release of her self-published book, Village is proud to present our latest exhibition, Rose of the Desert by London-based artist Sophie Jane Stafford.

The “Rose of the Desert” is a project about the Annual Festival of the Sahara, a 4-day event in the Oasis town of Douz. The festival is a celebration of Northern African Arab-Berber Traditions. Sophie visited Douz in December-January 2017-18 to photograph the town during the festival. The project shifts its gaze to contemporary Tunisians living in this rural part of Tunisia, exploring the clash of modern and historic Desert culture at the festival, not necessarily featured in mainstream media.

The exhibition will run from 6th - 15th July 2018

Exhibition preview: Thursday 5th July. 6pm - 9pm.

Sophie will be signing copies of her book at the exhibition launch night.

Drinks provided.

Sophie Jane Stafford is a Hull born Photographer known for her honest portraits and artistic based documentary projects on community stories internationally.

A theme running through her projects looks at the Conflicts Between Modern And Traditional Culture. Change or modernity can be used interchangeably they are usually presented in two forms, either positive or negative.

Sophie is fascinated with what makes tradition so important to people, and how these communities respond to change over time. Traditions today are our most prized possessions, they remind us to our past, our roots, and our family. Looking at communities that exemplify and thrive on their development, Sophie wants to challenge common misconceptions and judgements, and provide a platform for the subjects to tell their story.