Airports are one of those places that have always excited me. You’re about to start a journey. Or maybe you’re returning from a trip and heading back home. Perhaps you’re going somewhere unfamiliar, a place full of mystery where you don’t know anyone. But what I love talking about most is the atmosphere of the airport itself. Especially those moments when people are waiting outside the airport for their loved ones. Your flight has landed, and you’ve just stepped off the plane. Maybe you’re alone, maybe you’re with your family, or maybe someone is coming to pick you up. Or perhaps you’re heading somewhere unfamiliar and waiting for a taxi. There are so many different emotions in these moments. Inside the airport, around the different gates, there are so many people, each with their own story. Someone has missed their flight. Someone has just said goodbye to a loved one. Someone is waiting to see a person they haven’t seen in a long time, while someone else is traveling to a new place for the very first time. I remember that throughout all these years of traveling, I once missed a flight because I fell asleep at the airport. I was at the very last gate, watching my plane. I was sitting on a chair, waiting for the gate to open so I could board, but I fell asleep right there. Nobody came to wake me up. Imagine how I felt when I woke up. It was both hilarious and incredibly frustrating. I had missed my flight! Even now, whenever I have a flight, my mother calls me and says, “Don’t fall asleep! Don’t let what happened last time happen again. You had to buy two tickets!” And that ticket was very expensive, too. These contradictory emotions that people bring with them to an airport are fascinating to me. I think a writer could walk into an airport, spend hours there, and talk to different people. Even by simply observing them, they could imagine their stories. You can sometimes guess things just by looking at their suitcases. Maybe someone with a small suitcase wants their trip to be over quickly so they can return home. Or someone carrying several large suitcases might be going away for a longer period of time. These contradictions are what I find so interesting. You become part of a group with all the people who happen to be at the airport at that particular moment. People who are leaving for a journey or returning from one. Some have just arrived in a new city or country, while others have traveled to that destination many times before. We human beings complete each other through all our contradictions. We complement one another. An airport is truly a strange place. I can sit for hours in an airport café, simply watching people come and go. Whenever I have a flight or when my flight lands, I usually spend a lot of time sitting in one of the airport’s restaurants or cafés, just observing people. Sometimes I even talk to the airport staff. Maybe I’ll go out to the airport terrace with one of them and have a cigarette. I’m fascinated by how many different people that person encounters throughout the day and how many different stories they get to witness. Someone is running through the airport, trying to catch their flight. Someone else is calmly going about their work. A child is complaining, saying they don’t like this trip or that they miss their friends. Airports are full of sweet and bitter moments. Someone who works there or spends hours waiting there can witness so many different parts of other people’s lives every single day. Maybe observing other people’s lives, without actually knowing them, is one of the most fascinating human experiences. ⸻ About the Artwork & Creation Process The original photograph for this artwork was taken by Nastaran Najafi at Asaluyeh Airport, southern Iran, in the winter of 2021. The figures were painted by Nastaran Taghdimi using the Japanese Sumi-e painting technique. The overall composition was created by Nastaran Najafi, and the GIF animation was generated with AI. Artists: Nastaran Najafi & Nastaran Taghdimi Photography: Nastaran Najafi Painting: Nastaran Taghdimi — Sumi-e technique Composition: Nastaran Najafi GIF Animation: AI-generated Format: GIF Dimensions: 1024 × 1536 pixels Orientation: Vertical