Commute I is a body of work exploring notions of journey, non-place* and the liminal spaces between origin and destination. Taken during a period when I was regularly commuting by train between Amsterdam and Rotterdam—an approximately 45 minute ride. These works consist of overlapping (long) exposures taken from the train, looking out towards the rapidly passing view. By hacking the camera’s film advance mechanism I was able to partially advance the film, thereby allowing normally distinct frames to intersect, resulting in abstract images in which multiple places and moments merge.
*Non-place is a term coined by Marc Augé in his book Non-Places: An Introduction to an Anthology of Super Modernity (2009). Here non-places are defined as places we pass through, usually on the way to our destination; spaces that are devoid of emotional attachment or meaningful connections. Examples of non-places include airports, motorways, shopping complexes, hotels and trains.