Maybe solitude is no longer a punishment

I avoid being alone in my student room. Even though I feel at home here, the silence and presence of only myself makes me feel isolated. To fill the quiet, the first thing I do is open the window. Letting in the sounds of the street below. I pay attention to the noise of traffic, the cries of seagulls and the whispering of people passing by. I keep finding myself drawn to the bench outside my room. It’s fascinating to see how people behave in this shared space. How connections are made or avoided. I see them collecting cans around the bench, carefully tucking them away in bags. I see them sitting down with a coffee and a book or chatting with a friend. I see strangers sharing a short moment of eye contact and a casual smile. I see them sitting in their own worlds, unaware of each other. All these observations make me feel more connected to the place I live. I start to recognize the regulars and their habits. Strange enough, the observations also create a feeling of distance. The more I watch the world move around me, the more isolated I often feel. This motivated me to engage more with the public space. Shifting from just being an observer to actually being part of it.

The work consists of overlapping photographs transferred onto handmade paper. The paper is created from materials found around the bench. In this way the photographs blend in with a physical connection to the place. The transparency suggests how moments of connection overlap, but never fully come together into a deeper sense of connection.