Wednesday 11 January 2012

The Project Aims:
·         100 Wild Huts is an experimental challenge I’ve set myself to build 100 small survival shelters on any piece of ground that harbours enough natural resources for the build.
·         I intend to sleep rough in each shelter for one night and blog about the experiences. I intend to experiment with the huts form, structure and materiality in the hope that in due course, this may become a useful resource for budding adventurers and outdoor enthusiasts alike!
·         I intend only to use a small wooden handled hatchet (£9.99 from my local DIY store) and construct the small shelters sustainably; using only the natural resources of the selected site.

The challenge ahead:
I know that this challenge will be excruciatingly hard and that there is a small chance I’ll regret this eccentric idea in the depths of some cold night and want to give up. It may take me years to complete - but I’d rather challenge myself than just exist, I’d rather feel anything than feel nothing.
In all honesty I want to feel afraid; I want to abandon the sanitised sterility of urban life and find a true type of contentment down amongst the moss and mud. I want to experience the fear of being alone on a cold, dark wet winter’s night. I want to learn how to feel comfortable resting beside worms, biting insects, scurrying rodents, noisy birds or if I’m lucky - an inquisitive fox.
As I sit here now though, warm in my central heated family home, the biggest decision I’ve made all night is whether I should have one pop-tart or two for my supper? (I know what you’re thinking, probably best having two...) I often think our ‘contemporary culture’ can also be a soulless one.
I may even eat them tonight whilst the jam is still boiling hot - I think melting half my lip off with a pop-tart could be what’s needed to remind me...that I’m actually alive and that we don’t just live in our heads.

12 comments:

  1. This is fantastic, will definitely be keeping tabs on this. Good luck!

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  2. This is an interesting challenge you've set yourself. Good Luck, Cheers, and Much Success to you.

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  3. What an interesting challenge. Good luck.

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  4. Keep this up. I'm very interested in the designs you come up with.

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  5. Just stumbled upon your blog and I'll be following avidly. I recently traveled to Ghana and after seeing how hot and miserable the average mud hut was, I've wondered if there was another way. I'm posting your ideas to my board "Rethinking the Hut" on Solutionbank.org

    http://solutionbank.org/user/1/board/67

    Thanks again for being such an adventurous soul.

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  6. This is fantastic, keep up the good work! I will definitely be keeping my eye on this project! :) I wish you all the best and good luck!

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  7. Hello Kevin just stumbled across this blog, I like the idea very much. keep up the good work I will try to add my little bit of info. OK

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  8. Just stumbled across your blog and thought what a super challenge to set yourself- we should all wake up more thinking of tasks like this. I especially encourage paying attention to your ethos as the environment is so rich around us, we just spend the time building on top of our resources then exploiting them. So great way to remind us of what our land can offer.

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  9. what twining or cordage have you been using in most of your huts? found vines/roots or ...?
    FANTASTIC n inspiring blog btw ;)

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  10. I just found your post. SO! on to shelter #1.

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  11. I guess at Hutt 21 you felt alive enough?

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  12. Well how do I check them out, I'm curious as to the final outcome?

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