In this project I seek out people who have made a new life for themselves away from the city.People who contemplate sustainability, those who don’t want to participate in the “fear of missing out” depression creating system of today and those without the desire to live in a house at all. I will visit these people, talk with them about their experiences and motivations to chose this lifestyle and document their surroundings. At the same time I am also there to learn from them and to see how I might be able to translate some of my findings into my own life. I want to see how this relates to me having the garden and my own green little paradise while still living in the city.

This is my graduation project for the Willen de Kooning academy in Rotterdam. What is shown here is a start of something much bigger. This project will continue after graduation for an unknown amount of time.

Since a few months Roos lives in a yurt at the Veluwe. The initially went there to try it out but necer went back. She sold her house and got rid of most of her stuff. She realized the house and the busy city were not for her after all. She says it's the best decision she ever made.

Floris and Akke live in a self built eco home in Almere Oosterwold. They used to live in Amsterdam but wanted to raise their children in a different environment. Akke studied ecological agriculture and they both wanted to live and work closer to nature. They started their own business growing vegetables for the community and neighbouring cities.
To maintain the garden they work with volunteers and they offer internships to other agriculture students.

About 20 minutes from my home I have a garden. Here I try to teach myself how to grow my own vegetables. I am learning about permaculture a and growing food together with nature.

Claire lives in a caravan on a camping near the village of New-Amsterdam. about 2,5 years ago she quit her house to go travel and she never wanted to go back. She needs nature and space to think and be crative. She has no desire to return to a life in the city of a house. Her dream is to buy a camper and drive around, work whenever she can as a hairdresser on festivals and for whoever she meets.

I spent most of my time at Floris' and Akkes place in Oosterwold. Their home andgarden were an amazinhg place to learn they were very kind. Akke told me she was finally doing what she always wanted and when I asked her if this life was not sometinmes just hard and not as romantic as you often see in magazines she told me that, to her, it does actually feel as romantic as it seems most of the time. She is exactly where she is supposed to be.