Tim Vergouw

Surrounded by strangers 

Standing there. And seeing the people pass me by.
Their faces never looked at me. I wasn’t part of their world, but they were part of mine. As they passed me, they left me only with their lasting impressions. Sadly they would never know how much these impressions meant to me. 

For the first month, whilst living in Kyoto. I felt that I was lost in translation. During this, as I stood wandering around in Kyoto. I was trying to understand what was happing around me. How to interpret their customs, traditions, and habits. 

I was becoming aware that I was sharing these thoughts and emotions whit the people that surrounded me during those moments of wandering. I was passing by in their world, and they were passing by in mine. 

Surrounded by strangers aims to convey this feeling to the observer. As well as tries to make the watcher aware of what these strangers are trying to communicate to them.

Related Project Work

Exhibition: Kyoto, Japan