Pasajero

The last two weeks were fruitful, I think. I went to a few arts exhibitions, but the most memorable one was a photo-video project by Spanish artist Xavi Comas. It was titled Pasajero, which has two meanings -- passenger and ephemeral -- and portrayed the beauty of impermanence through the images of travellers in the Tokyo subway system. Here is the artist's eloquent description of his own artwork:

"During my last night in Tokyo I showed these photos to a melancholic Japanese taking drunken refuge in my hostel. Staring at me he related, in a bitter tone -- you and I 'Ichigo Ichie' -- an expression, he explained, that was quoted from a 16th Century Tea Master and means 'one meeting, one time'.

Every meeting with someone, whether a stranger, or a friend we see often, should be treasured because it will never recur again. The photos taken in these trains are instances in the lives of others, suspended moments trapped in the unstoppable fluidity of time.

We all are Pasajeros, travellers of life, a life which fleeting nature causes us to feel sorrow, however, there are depth and beauty to be found in this impermanence, when at least we recognise it."