It'll be fine!

Tuesday 9th march

_________________________________

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – MARK TWAIN

Miquel Barcelo

Travel

Spanish Film

_________________________________________

Perhaps I should explain why I am packing.

For the final major project of my degree I was presented with the challenge of an open brief. My closest friend and fellow student, Yeliz Dol (art director), and I (Christine Pettman, writer of sorts), skirted around various ideas on travel and culture. Both looking to stray from the borders of fashion that had mounted throughout our degree, I toyed with writing about people, through travel writing and social observation. Yeliz also wanted to approach art direction from a less fashion driven, commercial angle and exercise restless art skills that lay unused.

..."With much too little preparation, stubborn optimism and overdrawn bank balances, we found ourselves deposited at the airport. Nervously reassuring each other, with what would become our catchphrase whenever anxiety struck, “It’ll be fine!”

all illustrations, words and photography - Christine Pettman

MADRID...We came, we saw, we left

Wednesday 10th March

_______________________

London Gatwick, 8pm

... "Sitting in a café to recover after that humiliation, we watch the business types nearby who sip their coffee and delicately nibble at dry sandwiches, afraid to appear uncomposed should a stray crumb make an unwelcome landing on the lapel of their collar."

Hostel Splendid, 3am

"...The small, square room had two match-boxed sized beds in the standard hideous floral covers, do cheap hostels receive bulk purchase discount? Some net curtains that appeared to be impressively far along the stages of decomposition, which I pinned closed with a wobbly chair, and a bathroom, that if wished, would allow for you to sit on the toilet whilst cleaning your teeth over the sink and washing your feet in the shower."

Picketypocketed

Thursday 11th March

____________________

"...Walking to the exit, the corridor stretching on for far too long, I sensed someone walking uncomfortably close, and at the very edge of my vision caught sight of an urgent, darting hand. Unsure of what this meant I instinctively tugged at Yeliz’s sleeve, signaling we needed to stop. A dark haired girl of little more than sixteen halted une

xpectedly next to us, observing the ensuing confusion. Something’s odd I muttered, looking down at her bag. "

Friday 12th march

We followed the streets climb, passing tall narrow apartment buildings, painted in warm yellows and dirty browns, the tiny balconies overflowing with small clay pots and dehydrated exotic plants...

XAVI!

"En Barcelona, yeute asiert convivubly naitionalismo!"

"... The sign informing me of all this was headed ‘Lets be civil’, followed by a list of Park rules, expectant of visitors to respect the plant life and buildings. A while later we notice a collection of initials scratched on to the underside of a palm leaf. I think it was very considerate, civil even, that they had gone to the length of making their vandalism a quiet affair hidden from the less observant visitors.

'The Band'

SATURDAY, 13TH MARCH

A tinny echo led us to Leonardo, who, in fluent and articulate English, openly chatted as I pushed as many questions at him as I could think of...

On leaving the park we met an American guitarist who explained he was staying in Barcelona to study architecture. Compared to our excited commentary, tripping over details about life in London, it seemed like he was having a different conversation. His voice glided coolly over our frantic words. But it began to irritate me after a while. How relaxed can a person be? His induced monotone of casual enquires, over use of the word ‘like’ and unsubtle attention grabbing guitar playing made him as pseudo-cool as his Ray Bans.