Photo Gallery - Mihela Hladin: Coming Home

Back to the land

Mihela at the top of her small farm in the village of Bele Vode, population 200, which lies at an altitude of 800-1000m © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

The house Mihela and Robert live in now. Originally built as a stable for sheep, it is now a place for them, for their families, and for friends that come and visit. The house has its own water source and solar power © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

The final part of the road to the valley where Mihela and Robert live is a simple dirt track. After heavy rain, they have to repair it © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

On the steep slopes, it is hard to find a spot that would not require a lot of digging. So, instead of building a greenhouse, Mihela uses her husband's writing desk to grow seedlings for planting © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

Just before I arrived, Mihela and her uncle made a new field for potatoes, beans, and some other vegetables. They used an old plough to get to the soil where Mihela’s grandparents used to grow oats. Next year, this will also become a no-till garden © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

Beans in this part of Slovenia are grown on dry spruce trunks. Forests usually have a plentiful supply and it is believed that beans like to climb on them better than on other types of sticks © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

The new field is ready to be planted. Above it is an orchard with about 60 trees that Mihela’s family planted some 30 years ago, with all sorts of apples, pears, plums and cherries © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

Even though she claims her activist days are over, Mihela's beliefs are rooted in her time as a campaigner © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

When discussing her plans for growing food to become more self-sufficient all year long, Mihela kept drawing different plans for different gardens and changing the sizes of plots and numbers of plants, demonstrating the complexity of this endeavour © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

In the newly opened field, Mihela wanted to maximise the available soil. It took her two days to prepare the field for planting. Most of the work on the fields here is done manually © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

The door to the old house that Mihela’s grandparents built. It was a home for them and their seven children. They still gather here several times during the year to talk, sing, and eat © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

Mihela’s mother, who inherited the land from her parents and built new houses and infrastructure © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

A huge field of wild garlic, whose distinctive aroma permeated the surrounding area. We used it to make soups and salads and Mihela explained how it exemplified the permaculture principles of ‘harvesting abundance’ © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

Mihela and Robert, in their overalls, walk through the meadow after a day of work, discussing the plans for the week © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

A small creek in the valley supplies drinking water to this fountain. Mihela’s mother said it never runs dry, but it did last year because of the drought © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

Robert on a small tractor. This – aside from a series of chainsaws – is one of the few motorized tools on the farm © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

When making wood sticks, a traditional tool is used to scratch the outsides and keep the wood dry and resistant © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

The first piece of land that Mihela turned into a permaculture garden. By the time I arrived, most of the vegetables and flowers had already been planted © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

On seeing this photo, Mihela noted immediately that it shows very well the monoculture forests, the excess of roads in and around the forests, and the meadow that has been overfertilized so they can cut grass four times a year © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)

Back to the land

Bele Vode has views of the valley where the city of Velenje was developed as a coal mine city in the 1950s. It is a striking image of industrialization so close to these seemingly pristine hills. Many farmers were lured by the prospects of working in the factories at that time, to build a better and easier life © Matthieu Audiffret (2022)