- The biggest scam that was ever pulled on the human race was when the first person came around and said: "this piece of grass, on which I'm going to live, is mine and not yours."

Spain has one of the largest amounts of empty buildings in Europe. At the same time, as more and more houses are left empty, the prices to rent housing are skyrocketing. Hundreds of thousands of people are living in shelters or on the streets. This social climate has lead to a massive squatting movement in Spain, and in Barcelona especially, where there are abandoned buildings all over the city. To squat means to enter and settle into one of those buildings without permission from the owner.

When Hanna and the other squatters in CASI CASA, almost a house, moved in, their main focus was to repair the major holes in the ceilings. The owner had smashed the roof to pieces because he wanted to make the place less desirable for squatters. His plan didn't work.
  Two months and a large number of squatters later the holes are almost fixed and the house is packed with people from all over the world. Most of them are here to live outside of society's views on consumption and welfare. Some are in Spain because of the free roof over their heads and the warm weather.
They do not pay rent for their temporary housing, the electricity is stolen from nearby power lines, fresh water can be found

just around the corner in fountains and the food they eat is collected from the garbage bins outside of supermarkets. They survive on basically no income at all, but it takes a lot of effort. They are not forced to live like this, but they choose to.
   - I'd rather spend eight hours out of my day on my own projects and things I enjoy, instead of spending my time on any of the crap jobs I've had in my life, Hanna from Sweden says. Hell no, I prefer this life, no question about it.

NINA AHTOLA
PHOTOJOURNALIST

CO-WRITER HANNA KASTNER
FILMMAKER

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