“ Wired off Grids ” Book
In order to escape the clutches of society and modern life, how many solutions exist for becoming an outsider? WIRED OFF GRIDS is a book focusing on people who experience lifestyle challenges rooted in a positive form of marginality. It is an observation of those who decided to live off the grid for many reasons: economic, environmental, as well as the feeling of not “fitting in.”
Reading this book is to embark on a journey through different places, houses, and communities that have shared their stories over time. Across its chapters, eleven portraits testify to lifestyle choices and to varying levels of commitment to a life more connected to the environment and to themselves. Through these interviews, the reader travels across three different locations in Europe, each with distinct meteorological conditions. The journey moves from self-sufficiency in rural areas to a more conscious urban lifestyle.
The reader will discover the protagonists’ ambitions to preserve a rich ecosystem, their fascination with developing smart solutions to remain comfortable in harsh environments, and their care for building community connections. The book offers a diverse range of inspiring, colourful, and raw perspectives.
With a structured approach, it maps multiple layers of reality and encompasses a rich reservoir of storytelling.
Reading these stories is an opportunity to understand how political and social processes unfold and influence individuals and communities. As a historical narrative, this book complements traditional archives and contributes to the preservation of a heritage of innovation shaped by a survivalist philosophy. It is a reading experience for those who are fundamentally curious and who already view the world through different prisms of possibility.
Many of the protagonists in my research find freedom, though at times their imagination pushes them to the edge of reality, leaving them isolated or disconnected. What can we learn from their bold dreams?
Riso / Laser printing / Embossed paper / Natural fibers paper - Binding by Sascha Lammerts
Eindhoven 2024
