Life in transit
by Ubo Pakes
Recently I have spent quite a lot of time at international airports due to the stopovers at long flights. These airports are like mini cosmoses where people from literally all over the earth gather, stay for a while, and move on again. These mini cosmoses appear to have two main goals. The first is of course the obvious goal of traveling and catching connecting flights. But these airports also seem to be huge commercial hubs where no expenses are spared to entice people to spend money. There are all kinds of luxury goods on display and some shops have large LCD screens or other devices to advertise their products or projected lifestyle.
Many of the people however that temporary inhabit this cosmos appear to be very much busy with their own things. Looking for their next gate, keeping family and things together in the hustle bustle of the airport, looking for a place to rest or refresh or just communicate with the rest of the world with their gadget. There are people walking around everywhere. Even though the airport is for all these people a place in-between travel, everyone seems to be busy I was fascinated by how many people just pass by the shops and their screaming ads without paying attention.
These backgrounds however also presented themselves with other opportunities. These tend to change contents or show moves and animations. I started to work on a series of photos in which I let people walk in front of these screens as a silhouette, so that they are anonymous, a scene where the background is just as important as the person in front of it. An image then emerges of an anonymous completely artificial world that the airports have become. An image that is as fleeting as the time people spend in this place. A place where persons and environment are connected, but also appear to be oblivious of each other.
