Two intense weeks, an average of 11,000 steps a day walking the route, acquainting myself with all 74 of the bus stops, hundreds of photos taken and a healthy handful of interviews obtained, I have a lot to gather and collate!
There’s also the reflecting on what has shined through bright in this past fortnight for me and, importantly, what I have got out of this residency. Were my hopes and desires fulfilled? How did it feel to map my existence in this way? And thinking ahead, how would I like to move forwards, in what direction, and with which strand?
On a route that has been fixed for over a hundred years there were also some unexpected turns; a site visit to Transport UK’s Battersea Bus Depot AND a mention of me and my residency with a link to my website on Transport UK’s Linkedin account, wow! So much more than I could have imagined! I also met some really lovely people and lovely, generous drivers, so many of whom, in their short turnaround time, happily gave me a couple of minutes of their time to let me interview them, and occasionally take their photo. A couple even invited me back for when they had more time to chat and one even gave me his number should I need any further help. I cannot overstate just how friendly and kind the drivers and all who work at Transport UK are, they literally filled my two weeks with joy. I have a deep appreciation for the time that they gave and will be forever grateful.
So, in the meantime, I’m going to go get me some lunch, then jump back on this laptop and crack on with some next steps of what is essentially just the beginning of this super exciting project.
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Lara x
Tiger.On.The.Rock 