Underground Stillness of Motion

A late post tonight because I was stuck in the London Underground coming back late after work. I avoided peak and the carriages were empty. Underground has transformed from a monster back into the beauty queen.

Ever since I was a little girl I was fascinated with large urban underground networks. I imagined a my twenty something self tall with long hair and a guitar case nearby me looking nostalgically looking through the windows and the world passing by. I imagined passing through the corridors full of colorful posters and giving spare coins to a busker on the way. Coming from a small town where everything was within walking distance Metro was a symbol of a large buzzing cosmopolitan city. I promised myself that one day I will live in a metropolis.

Time has passed. I listened to songs with videos shot in the undergrounds. I learned English, traveled the world, moved to another country. I didn’t grow long hair and I don’t play guitar anymore. I live in London in the city with one of the largest underground networks in the world.The feeling of daily hatred during long and crowded commute is mixed with admiration for complex system connecting every part of London.

The frequent travels in London tubes inspired me to create a photo shoot in the tunnels. This shoot was taken a year ago but I never got around publishing it. It was also one of the first photos we took together with Riennahera. We spent a few hours in the Waterloo stations going up and down the stairs and traveling through the tunnels to get that perfect shot and avoid the crowds. My skills got much better since the end of last December but I still have the sentiments for them.

I know we all complain about the TFL and I overly romanticize the underground but if you could look with a bit differently at this mysterious space, I am sure you will also notice it’s charm.

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