"A few unexpected events and the desire to run away led to an impulsive (but economically thought-through) decision to book a flight to London for a week," says photographer Kelia MacCluskey. "Flights were cheap, I didn’t have much else planned, so I clicked ‘book trip’ and a month later I was returning to a city that stole my heart two years ago."
"I had lived in London while working on an internship before. My experiences in London have been emotionally different each visit, and this trip in particular was devoted to solitude. Though I had friends in the city, I was alone for a majority of the time."
"This left a lot of room for internal dialogue — a very in-depth look at which relationships I was investing in, and how I viewed external human relationships. It’s hard to ignore the cinematic, romantic strolls through the park, the historic monuments and the couple selfies as evidence: ‘look what we’re doing!’. I moved silently along the locals and the tourists, documenting their relationships and their interactions with such a lovely environment."
"Being alone also meant cheap microwaveable chicken tikka masala from Sainsbury’s (a small grocery in London that exists on almost every block) and cup of tea when I needed to warm up."
"It wasn’t until I returned to Denver that I realized almost every image I made was a documentation of my understanding and desire to fully understand human relationships. Whether they were friendly or romantic, or if it were evidence of a gesture, such as a bouquet of flowers left behind in a phone booth – everything was evidence of a human connection."
"I find this sentiment especially important during the holidays as we’re all navigating our own solitude and trying to find the way we can interact with others in a loving and meaningful way."
Words and photos by Kelia Anne MacCluskey.
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