MY PERSPECTIVE ON HUTS
I'm Arnaud!
I’m Arnaud, 35 years old. A guitar teacher and music school director, I deeply love my work—it’s allowed me to build a life centered around my first passion.
Five years ago, I discovered another world that quickly fascinated me, one I haven't wanted to leave since. It’s become even more than a simple passion; today, it’s how I travel and discover Europe, and almost a way of life half of my time : HUTS.
They are places that offer a unique connection to nature and a different way of experiencing the landscape.
I’ve decided to dedicate an entire year to creating an ambitious, immersive series. I want to bring the beauty of this world to the screen, as well as the way I see it.
BETWEEN SHARING AND PRESERVATION
Ever since I discovered open huts, I’ve been torn by a real dilemma: not speaking about them too loudly in order to preserve them, or shouting my love for them from the rooftops to keep them alive.
My deepest wish for this project is to manage to explore this subject without bringing any harm to it.
As these places grow in popularity. Places that represent, for me, one of the last bastions of true freedom. I feel the need to share my perspective.
The secrecy around these places is fading, and ignoring the phenomenon won't make it go away.
Traveling across Europe, from Norway to Scotland through Italy, made me realize we might have a lot to learn from one another.
Besides, the culture of sharing seems more mature there, sometimes backed by strong principles like allemannsretten: the right to roam that relies on shared trust and responsibility. How could we draw inspiration from these models to build our own ethics?
To be clear, this isn't about regulating these shelters or turning them into bookable accommodations. For me, that would go completely against their very essence.
Mais il faut tout faire pour que les cabanes continuent d'exister et que leur esprit perdure malgré les incivilités de quelques-uns.
The question isn’t "should we talk about huts?",
but rather
How should we talk about them?
“A free-to-use hut is not a commodity to be consumed, it is an open door to nature and the wild.”
That’s the whole vision behind Gimme Shelters:
This is not a travel guide: I refuse to turn these shelters into destinations for social media or trendy tourism products. An open hut is usually about rustic simplicity, not a spot for chasing views.
Passing on a culture: Show the raw beauty, history, and fragility of this world to make people understand that access is not a right, but a privilege that comes with responsibilities.
Offering a vision: Bring the public closer to a more authentic world and demonstrate that experiencing nature does not inevitably mean contributing to its degradation.
