Artist Mary Mattingly envisioned Waterpod as an alternative living model that could be re-created in the future when land and resources are scarce. Built out of recyclables upon a rented barge, the Waterpod runs on solar power, and its crew grows its own food and collects rainwater. Food comes from chickens and gardening, waste is composted, and residents sleep in small quarters built from reclaimed materials. Mattingly and the Waterpod project team say the self-sustaining space might offer a glimpse into the future when mankind lives in mobile aquatic shelters that make up water-based communities.