Leonie Hampton-Purchas "Autonomy, the Cariou Family" (France)

Autonomía, la familia Cariou - Francia

La familia Cariou vive una vida autónoma en la Provenza. Ante el enorme coste de la propiedad en su área tuvieron la idea de comprar un pequeño olivar en el que se han diseñado y construido su casa. 
 Su objetivo es avanzar lo más lejos posible sin la utilización de combustibles no renovables. Reciben suficiente electricidad a partir de un panel solar de 140 vatios para darles luz y música durante todo el año. Una bomba extrae agua desde el río hasta un tanque. En invierno se utiliza la energía solar para calentar el agua, ya que el río es demasiado frío para el baño. 


"El Estado pone todo en manos de las personas, pero siempre hay que trabajar para mantener ese estilo de vida materialista. El dinero sirve para que el sistema funcione y la gente se convierten en esclavos del propio sistema. "

Quieren tener tan poco que ver con este sistema como sea posible. Yanick sostiene a la familia con sus ingresos procedentes de la agricultura de olivar, el albaricoque y la lavanda. 
 No tienen vecinos.

"Es nuestra decisión de vivir sin ser vistos. No es fácil vivir de una manera diferente con los demás mirando. No hay vecinos, y vivimos sin preocupaciones. Tal vez algún día vamos a tener problemas, pero vamos a encontrar la manera de resolverlos. Para tomar la decisión de vivir de esta manera es una forma de combate contra la vida materialista moderna. Y vamos a luchar por ello".

Autonomy, the Cariou Family - France

The Cariou family Live an autonomous life in Provence. Faced with the huge cost of property in their area they were fortunate to buy a small olive grove in which they have designed and built their home.
 Their goal is to move as far as possible from the use of non-renewable fuel. They get enough electricity from a 140-watt solar panel to provide them with light and music throughout the year. A pump draws water from the river to a tank. In winter they use solar energy to heat the water, as the river is too cold and the current too strong for bathing. 


“The state puts everything into ones hands but one must always work to sustain that materialistic way of life. Money serves to make the system function and people become slaves to it.” 

They want to have as little to do with this system as possible. Yanick sustains the family with his earnings from olive, apricot and lavender farming. 
They do not have neighbours. 

“It is our choice to live unseen. It is not easy to live in a different way with others watching. No neighbours, no worries. Maybe one day we will have problems but we will find ways. To take the decision to live in this way is a form of combat against modern materialistic life. And we will fight for that decision.”

“When I was photographing other people’s families I felt like I was trying to chisel something away. Or trying to crack an egg, to get inside, while the process of photographing my own family feels quite the opposite: I’m trying to get out of the egg”

Leonie Hampton.

Leonie Hampton Purchas was born in Great Britain in 1978. After studying Art History, she has worked as assistant to photojournalist Tom Stoddart. She has won numerous awards, among which the Ian Parry Sunday Times Young Photographer, the Jerwood Photography Prize, a scholarship from the British Arts Foundation, the Paul Huf Award and the F award for concerned photography. Her work has been exhibited across the world. Hampton regularly holds photo workshops in her London atelier.

More info: http://www.leoniehampton.com/home/