By Bastien Chazalette Zaco

Surprising convoy

New building means changes. New desk, new space, new way to work. And also finding your new habits. So far I’ve been more than pleased to see some daylight and enjoy the good food around. Taking my repairs to work, watching the trains pass during the day start to be a strange way to clear my mind for some seconds. 

Wondering where they going; from where they come from. What kind of merchandise they carry or who are the people quietly sitting in those successive wagons. Their eyes locked on their mobile phones as if Brixton was less attractive than the video they watching, or this one more article about the quick expansion of a certain virus… The more we get into the afternoon, the more merchandise trains seem to have some business due in London. This moving urban painting starts to become more dramatic from our buildings made of stacked containers, turned into offices, restaurants, shops, and bars. A certain post-apocalyptic climate glow from this tiny village, where most of the time the music accompanies the life of the locals and the travelers. With this view dyed from the sun slowly going down and the typical whimsical weather of London, it’s easy to feel my self carry away from the real world for a short period. 

Letting my mind think about irrelevant questions and nonsense speculations allowed me to step back from all the work we need to pull out currently. If this short period disappears as quickly as the train moves away to continue its mysterious journey, it’s enough to breathe and give my brain some fresh blood to consume. This enabled to come up with new ideas but also to take a different perspective on previous ones. A natural process perhaps; but it’s undeniably easier to do it here than enclosed in our previous home. The simplest fact to see other people living their life next to me is diverting, and essential. 

How are we supposed to know what to say to the consumers if we work and live excluded from them? As our job is to light up people’s lives, solve social issues or say the things that needed to be heard we must be a part of the society; if I dare to communicate to the masses, presenting them my opinions as a solution, I should definitely get on board one of those trains, seat next to the first person and just see how life goes on when I stop reflect on it. 

How does it feel to put down notebook and pen to try to absorb the feelings that I usually try to analyze? Becoming a part of the painting I usually contemplate. Moreover, it mustn’t be too disagreeable to enjoy the view from the train, the window slightly open makes the wind flows on my face, carrying with him some uncanny odors from the city, that I’m happy to notice, just as a reminder that life is lived and that shits happen.