'Fridom': snapshots of a young life squatting in Europe (15 images)
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jestemzero
Fridom is a pan-European work-in-progress, a 'document' about squatting. That means it's about bringing to life the idea that animating abandoned places does more good than possessing them. This is a story about people who decided to build their homes out of nothing because of an economical, social or artistic need. These images by Polish photographer Pawel Starzec were first exhibited in 2010, and had their most recent outing in Poland on 5 October. The 20-year-old, who is also a sociology student from Wroclaw, has just returned from his most recent shooting of a squat in Copenhagen
Since 2010, Pawel has visited countries as diverse as Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Norway, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland and Denmark, to document squats and life inside. Pictured, the first day of Warsaw's new squat (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)
Wagenburg, Germany. 'It's about living with a roof over your head, living with dogs, music...' Pictured, R. & Laika (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)
'I am not interested in the protests surrounding squats, but the daily functioning of them'. Pictured, A. with tallbikes (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)
A bench at the oldest Polish squat Rozbrat in Poznan. 'The sign says 'Anarchy now!'' (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)
'Beachside': J. & M. catch the wireless connection from the other bank of the Odra, one of the two main rivers running through Poland (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)
A foreigner at the Tovarna Rog squat in Ljubljana, 'and a dog named Bukowski' (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)
'Coal furnance at the now non-existent squat Elba'; evictions took place in March 2012 (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)
'It's about cold nights and eating with fifteen people...' Collective breakfast at Medika in Croatia (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)
Ernst-Kirchweger-Haus (EKH), Vienna (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)
'L. with his morning cereal' (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)
'It's about calm days spent together in one room...' Fridges in a social kitchen; 12 years of collecting stickers (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)
K., 'a sad story about evictions and being too late' (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)
F. at Brakkers in Norway (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)
B. & K., 'cigarette and sleep' (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)
'I can't talk a lot about some of those places. This is the deal with the crew sometimes' (Image: © Pawel Starzec/ pawelstarzec.com)