Daily Commute

Every day on my way to work, I pass through this escalator. It is a transitional space that carries people forward while quietly turning their attention inward as they move. This series was inspired by Jeff Wall’s 1984 staged photograph Milk. In the image, the cold, orderly geometry transforms an everyday setting into a stage. The man’s tense posture and the sudden burst of milk give visible form to an emotion that would otherwise remain hidden. Frozen at the instant of action, he is removed from the continuous flow of time and becomes a symbol of a particular psychological state. I brought this way of seeing to the escalator I pass each day, waiting for a solitary figure to appear within a space shaped by steps, lines, light, and shadow. By avoiding crowds and reducing visual noise, I temporarily separate each person from the continuous movement of commuting, leaving them alone within the frame. The escalator moves at a steady pace, carrying everyone toward a predetermined destination. Its clean, austere, and highly ordered geometry also resembles the structure of modern society. Yet people moving through the same environment reveal very different states of mind: looking down, gazing ahead, looking upward, lost in thought, or simply letting their minds drift. Some figures appear tired and weighed down, while others seem to find a brief moment of relief within the routines of daily life. I want to portray the inner activity that often goes unnoticed as people continue moving along the paths laid out by society. Though their movements through public space may appear similar, each person carries a different set of emotions and thoughts.