to foreshadow our life in 2090, they tested autonomous housing

ARTE – FRIDAY 1^IS MARCH AT 3:35 P.M. – DOCUMENTARY

We have been waiting for years for this full-scale test of the “Desert Biosphere” project, which could foreshadow our life in 2090. The stakes are high, since it involves demonstrating that there is a other option than the future – predicted by many – based on overconsumption, pollution and overexploitation of the planet.

Since 2021, engineer Corentin de Chatelperron, 40 years old (including ten spent traveling the world by sailboat, in search of low-tech), and his designer partner, Caroline Pultz, 28 years old, have been working on this first experiment: living in two in autonomy (water, food, waste) for one hundred and twenty days. For the date, it will be between May and August 2023. As for the location, they chose the Mexican desert, close to the arid and hostile climate that could be ours within a hundred years.

A countdown finally appears on the screen: “J1”. In a magnificent and isolated seaside landscape, the duo makes their mark in the tent in the shape of a giant cocoon, specially designed to repel the heat and house, in addition to the two occupants, the dry toilets, the aquaponics vegetable garden, the cultivation of spirulina and the breeding of crickets (sources of protein) and black soldier flies, whose larvae transform excrement into fertilizer – for more details, refer to the excellent miniseries Desert Biosphere (2022, on Arte.tv until October 23, 2026), dedicated to the two years of preparations.

Multiple adventures

In this unitary film, on the other hand, the viewer risks being surprised by the amateurism of the production, but the constraint of autonomy means that the duo filmed themselves alone. Moreover, Jamy (Gourmaud) is not the one who wants it. But do they want it? Caroline’s good humor compensates for the lack of professionalism, including when the watermakers, supposed to produce 40 liters per day, painfully provide 1.5 liters. Fortunately, for this “first”, the couple starts with a stock of 200 liters of drinking water, dried vegetables and oil.

Without revealing what happens next, whose picturesqueness and candor are the charm, let’s say that, after hitting rock bottom, the couple will demonstrate perseverance that relatively pays off. For fun, let us cite, among the many adventures, the vision of a rattlesnake swallowing a mouse (only the tail protrudes from the mouth) and the disappointment of our adventurers. “Harmony with the surrounding nature is not there”notes Caroline.

Much later, Corentin became learned: “If anything, this future won’t make many people dream, but if it convinces a few, it won’t be bad. » Feeding on crickets is indeed fun, when you know that it will only last four months. But, beyond that… We would have liked more ambition and rigor. Damage. But it’s only a postponement. Now let’s wait for “Biosphere 2”.