Shacks give us somewhere to disappear

From desert landscapes to isolated places, from mountains to jungles, wilderness is somewhere to rest, find refuge; a place of solitude far away from society. Cristina Guerrero documents a series of discovered cabins and other hideouts found around the world.

The photographs explore other ways of living in this age of digital hyper-connectivity, inspired by the words of Henry David Thoreau and his manifesto to wildlife:

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms…” – Walden (1854), Henry David Thoreau

The transcendentalist Thoureau immersed himself in nature and built a cabin, in search of simple living and as a voyage of spiritual discovery. Thoreau spent two years, two months and two days writing this text from his retreat in the woods. The book is a manifest against the First Industrial Revolution in the USA, a social experiment that encourages self-reliance.

Somewhere to Disappear is a declaration of independence. I am concerned about the issue of internal freedom in modern society, where technology moves us away from the essence of life and civilization makes us prisoners to social constructs. How do you connect with yourself in the midst of this?

Cabins are an ideal place to reconnect with nature, and they offer a minimalist and rouge place to find refuge within rustic landscapes. The series shows raw scenarios out of social context and demonstrate the beauty of coexisting with wildlife. The escapism from technology enables simplicity, away from capitalism. It grasps the imaginary of nomadism and the relationship between Earth and humans.

A warm thank you to Cristina for sharing these beautiful images and reminding us of the importance of connecting with nature. You can see more of Cristina’s work on her website.