NZ Visual Diary - entry 305

waiting for the bus

Much caught my eye at this bus stop along Queen Street, beginning with the seated gentleman on the left. I was struck by the visual dominance of muscle, those massive forearms, held in counterpoint by his cherubic facial expression. The sweetness of his smile was complemented by the planting of his sneakers, resting on the outer edges of soles, much as I remembered doing so as a childhood habit. So too the seated man to the right, who adopted a variation on that playful foot placement.

Then there is the standing man in half-akimbo pose, his bright red bag held tightly in his other hand. I was taken by the quantity and colouring of his hair, both facial and that atop his head.

Lastly, I am always amused by the choreography of spatial distancing within public places, at least in those public settings where space is relatively abundant, say this bus stop versus a New York City subway car during rush hour. The people sitting on the bench have announced by their placement that they are a couple; the two men on the left are likely not together; and the two younger men on the right stand apart, one a step behind the other, as if to signal that they are strangers. They face in the same direction, however, to watch for the arrival of the bus . . . that is, if either gentleman breaks his transfixed gaze on screen to notice.