RUTOPIA
This project focuses on the repopulation of different ruin villages in Spain’s empty interior, where people strive to construct self-governed ecological communities as a ‘rural utopia’ towards a sustainable future.

In recent decades, there has been an enormous exodus of the Spanish countryside. According to the Spanish Ministry of Planning, only 10 percent of the 42 million inhabitants live in 70 percent of the country. In the past years, the boundaries of urbanization are becoming increasingly visible. Increased climate awareness has resulted in a revaluation of rural areas, which has been given an extra boost by the current Covid crisis.

In addition to depopulation, a reverse movement is also underway, in which people want to bring abandoned rural villages back to life. This project documents the process of repopulating several (seven) abandoned ruin villages in Northern Spain. It aims to show not only life in these emerging communities, but also the efforts required to live there, often off-grid, and the challenges of the residents to create a utopian mini-society. It connects to the theme of community, since the neo-rural inhabitants believe in the power of the collective as an alternative to urban lifestyles emphasizing individuality. It challenges notions of the city as the arena for endless opportunities and re-values collective rural living in the light of challenging and changing times.  

Project funded by Covid-Emergency Funding by Matchingsfonds de Coöperatie and the National Geographic Society

Rutopia - Spain - Aguinalíu is located in the desolate province of...
Aguinalíu is located in the desolate province of Aragón and is... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Hannah Brüderer brings on make-up in a wooden yurt...
Hannah Brüderer brings on make-up in a wooden yurt in Matavenero, Spain.... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Guillem Mateu Prat bought a ruin in Aguinalíu for...
Guillem Mateu Prat bought a ruin in Aguinalíu for 1000 euros. He... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Wash is drying in the sun, close to the solar panels in...
Wash is drying in the sun, close to the solar panels in the backyard of the... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Joseph Nogue Invenon is repairing the cables of his car...
Joseph Nogue Invenon is repairing the cables of his car in the garage under... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - The current inhabitants of Fraguas community near Madrid...
The current inhabitants of Fraguas community near Madrid enjoy their... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Andre Martín Moreno found for the third time in a...
Andre Martín Moreno found for the third time in a month one of the... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - A weekly meeting is held among the residents of the...
A weekly meeting is held among the residents of the community to discuss the... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Architect Pere Lopez Gausa had built a second home in...
Architect Pere Lopez Gausa had built a second home in Solanell, next to his... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Marta Haro López, Sara Vallejo Sarden, Mauricio...
Marta Haro López, Sara Vallejo Sarden, Mauricio Noel Strübing and... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - The village of Solanell in the Pyerenees consists of 43...
The village of Solanell in the Pyerenees consists of 43 ruins, of which 6... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - In Barchel most of the food is home-grown. The group...
In Barchel most of the food is home-grown. The group invests enormous amounts... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Blue water tanks, surrounded by spring blossems, store...
Blue water tanks, surrounded by spring blossems, store the water for the... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Almudena Casino Navarra's hair is being shaved by her...
Almudena Casino Navarra's hair is being shaved by her friend Delia Celada... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Didac Costa sits alone in his house, while the...
Didac Costa sits alone in his house, while the neighbouring ruins reflect in... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Horses roam the village of Solanell. Though they have an...
Horses roam the village of Solanell. Though they have an owner, they walk... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Felix Franco Escobar is taking a nap in the ruin he is...
Felix Franco Escobar is taking a nap in the ruin he is slowly reconstructing... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Jürgen Pluindrich stands next to the San Pedro...
Jürgen Pluindrich stands next to the San Pedro cactus that he grows in... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Aerial view of Solanell. From above it is clearly visible...
Aerial view of Solanell. From above it is clearly visible the entire village... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - The group is sharing a dinner at community Barchel. Every...
The group is sharing a dinner at community Barchel. Every day two communal... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - Felix Franco Escobar and Guillem Mateu Prat share a...
Felix Franco Escobar and Guillem Mateu Prat share a barbeque in the corral... READ ON
Rutopia - Spain - A washed bed sweet blows in the wind inside one of the...
A washed bed sweet blows in the wind inside one of the ruins in... READ ON

Sanne Derks

Sanne Derks is a Dutch freelance photojournalist and anthropologist, mainly focused on social documentary projects in Latin America.
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