BERKERS, Angeniet - 15m2 of Freedom

"On just a few squatted terrains in The Netherlands there are people who choose to live trucks, vans or trailers. It is fascinating to see how these people ‘obtain’ their freedom because it isn’t always that easy to live this way. There isn’t so much space, the water isn’t always running, a toilet (compost toilet) usually is a little further down the road, you have to chop wood to heat the stove before having a little warmth etc… The daily life has a real different pace then that of us hasty city people. Most of the terrains have evolved into cultural breeding ground where festivals and concerts take place every year. In the Netherlands it’s a subculture that has become more and restricted because of the repressive policy of the government and project developers. It has become expected of everyone to live in a ‘normal’ way – in a house. It takes a lot of courage and persistence to choose an alternative way to live. The left activist scene in the Netherlands isn’t what it used to be. How different is this in Germany, where squatting never has been legal in the first place. Every big city has a couple of terrains where people live in busses or trailers. ‘15m2 of freedom’ is about the search for freedom and the constant paradox that follows with it. Will you get a sense of freedom when you reduce your possessions and throw away all excess baggage? Isn’t it just a ‘state of mind’ that allows a person not to care so much about what one ‘should’ do, or is ‘supposed’ to do. And what if the terrain you are living on is maybe going to be evicted?" (© Angeniet BERKERS, 2015)