Silence in the City
door Sophie de Vocht
Schipol Airport in times of coronavirus lockdown
Always filled with dazzling sounds of suitcase wheels, confused tourists and worried Last-Call-For-Boarding passengers, the details and structure of Schipol Airport never even caught my attention.
On my way to The Hague, I had to transfer the trains at this very same airport. One of the busiest in Europe. But to the person who would come for the first time here now, the factual statements about its business could only scream: FAKE NEWS…If they didn’t know that the world found itself in a complete state of lockdown.
Although I am more than aware of the current situation that this silent enemy has caused to the whole world, it has never hit me hard as then, when my eyes (and consequently my camera lens) witnessed this scene.
My footsteps echoed throughout the whole train platform as I walked around still in shock that I am really the only person present there. As I snapped this photo, I have noticed someone going down and joining me in this airport loneliness. It was a member of the airport staff, who also looked as if he was not sure if he accidentally came to a wrong location and not his dynamic, noisy and slightly chaotic workplace.
I would say that with these photos, we can see how corona virus has shut us down, but also made us more than aware of our co-existence that we seemingly forgot, lost in the midst of our own events, agendas, digital lives and individuality as one of the vital norms of modern world.
by Petra Parčetić
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