Breaking News

Are these Europe's real "Wildlings"?

By Eoghan Macguire, CNN

Updated 11:07 PM ET, Thu March 19, 2015

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Saying goodbye to the grind of modern city life is a fantasy for many. But what of those who follow through and cut themselves loose? Take a look at the off-grid rebels living a different life across Europe.<br /><br />French photographer Antoine Bruy spent five years documenting the lives of communities and individuals living off-grid in just such a manner across Europe.<br /><br />The results of his journey can be seen in Scrublands, a collection of photographs currently on display at the FORMAT International Photography Festival in Derby, England.<br />The man pictured here is named Vincent, a former mathematics student who now lives in the Pyrenees Mountain range in France.
Photos: Are these Europe's real "Wildlings"?
Saying goodbye to the grind of modern city life is a fantasy for many. But what of those who follow through and cut themselves loose? Take a look at the off-grid rebels living a different life across Europe.

French photographer Antoine Bruy spent five years documenting the lives of communities and individuals living off-grid in just such a manner across Europe.

The results of his journey can be seen in Scrublands, a collection of photographs currently on display at the FORMAT International Photography Festival in Derby, England.
The man pictured here is named Vincent, a former mathematics student who now lives in the Pyrenees Mountain range in France.
Hide Caption
1 of 15
Bruy first developed the idea for the project after traveling from the north of France to the south of Morocco in 2006.<br /><br />Along the way he met people living in the wilderness who intrigued and fascinated him in equal measure.<br />Why did they choose to live away from major populations and what philosophies lay behind their lifestyle choices? In 2010, Bruy set off again with the idea of documenting the lives of this intriguing group people.<br />
Photos: Are these Europe's real "Wildlings"?
Bruy first developed the idea for the project after traveling from the north of France to the south of Morocco in 2006.

Along the way he met people living in the wilderness who intrigued and fascinated him in equal measure.
Why did they choose to live away from major populations and what philosophies lay behind their lifestyle choices? In 2010, Bruy set off again with the idea of documenting the lives of this intriguing group people.
Hide Caption
2 of 15
A man peers out from a house made of straw near the town of Zlatna in the Apuseni Mountains, Romania. <br /><br />Bruy visited five different countries -- France, Spain, Switzerland, Romania and Wales -- in carrying out his project.
Photos: Are these Europe's real "Wildlings"?
A man peers out from a house made of straw near the town of Zlatna in the Apuseni Mountains, Romania.

Bruy visited five different countries -- France, Spain, Switzerland, Romania and Wales -- in carrying out his project.
Hide Caption
3 of 15
Bruy described the the way of life in different locations as "quite similar" despite the varying nationalities of the people he met and the differing surroundings they found themselves in.
Photos: Are these Europe's real "Wildlings"?
Bruy described the the way of life in different locations as "quite similar" despite the varying nationalities of the people he met and the differing surroundings they found themselves in.
Hide Caption
4 of 15
"I think they are very sensitive about ecological problems and the state of our planet right now," Bruy said of his subjects. "They are very aware and they care about it."<br /><br />
Photos: Are these Europe's real "Wildlings"?
"I think they are very sensitive about ecological problems and the state of our planet right now," Bruy said of his subjects. "They are very aware and they care about it."

Hide Caption
5 of 15
He continued: "I think its also a reaction about how our society and how the economy is working. I think they are also trying to live in a way so they are not just one piece of the big machine."
Photos: Are these Europe's real "Wildlings"?
He continued: "I think its also a reaction about how our society and how the economy is working. I think they are also trying to live in a way so they are not just one piece of the big machine."
Hide Caption
6 of 15
Some people had built houses from scrap wood and metal which had been bought and foraged.
Photos: Are these Europe's real "Wildlings"?
Some people had built houses from scrap wood and metal which had been bought and foraged.
Hide Caption
7 of 15
Others opted for the simpler dwelling of a teepee.
Photos: Are these Europe's real "Wildlings"?
Others opted for the simpler dwelling of a teepee.
Hide Caption
8 of 15
Not everyone Bruy met was keen on going back to nature and shutting out the modern world. <br /><br />He describes meeting one family in Romania (whose children are pictured in makeshift bathtubs here) as "being worried about what was going on in their country and how the economy was growing."<br /><br />They were the exception in "trying to keep this traditional lifestyle whilst being aware of the outside world and how that was developing," Bruy said.
Photos: Are these Europe's real "Wildlings"?
Not everyone Bruy met was keen on going back to