However different we all are here, what many of us have in common is the fact that we have made a choice to start new lives in a more natural environment – one that will (hopefully) meet our values. We have all brought our own dreams and energy to the area, but equally we all have to overcome a certain number of challenges.

The Massat valley is an isolated area where the landscape makes transport and agricultural activities very difficult and where employment is scarce. So how have we adopted that new environment? What lives have we carved out for ourselves? Have our choices met our expectations? In getting peoples’ comments and perceptions about their experiences here, the project also asks questions how each of us manages TIME and SPACE as a way of being able to EXIST in our present economic climate - a subject that is assuming ever-increasing importance for many of us. Just how possible is it to get that the work-life balance right, or, how to live in a more environmentally friendly manner?

That said, the point of views recorded in this photo-documentary are only a tiny glimpse of the diversity we can find in the Massat area, but hopefully it highlights the incredible human wealth we can find here.