A train is speeding through the night. As in a convoluted dream, there is no getting off before the destination is reached. With the speed and linearity of the perfect action film, the journey of a drowsy passenger unwittingly becomes one connecting a nostalgic past to an utopian future. From the Orient Express to Hyperloop, it is easy to interpret the unstoppable momentum of trains as a metaphor for technological advancement. The immersive sounds and swaying movements which pattern the onboard experience are that of not only travel through Space, but also through Time. As one falls asleep, the future of yesterday quickly becomes the past of tomorrow.

The windows of the cabins, providing panning views of urban or pastoral scenery during the day, at night dramatically reflect the crude lighting from within the train. As you look outside, you contemplate yourself staring back in — a reflective spectator of your own life, rendered strangely cinematic by the overlaid abstracted lights of passing villages in the distance, traffic control signals, the moon.

Being in transit is always a good time to reflect, to dream and be transported. The impermanence of time and place of train travel sets us in a liminal state where unexpected romance or international intrigue can spontaneously manifest between geographies, borders, and climates. This issue dives into the mystery of the night, where lost trains of thought are found navigating the dimly lit corridors of our fantasies. Passing through tunnels can result in loss of service — as we disconnect from externalities, we reconnect to ourselves.

Later on, at the first signs of dawn, with its passengers sound asleep, a train silently slices through the rolling landscape of the countryside with the elegance and grace of a haiku.

— Savinien Caracostea, Editor in Chief

A train is speeding through the night. As in a convoluted dream, there is no getting off before the destination is reached. With the speed and linearity of the perfect action film, the journey of a drowsy passenger unwittingly becomes one connecting a nostalgic past to an utopian future. From the Orient Express to Hyperloop, it is easy to interpret the unstoppable momentum of trains as a metaphor for technological advancement. The immersive sounds and swaying movements which pattern the onboard experience are that of not only travel through Space, but also through Time. As one falls asleep, the future of yesterday quickly becomes the past of tomorrow.

The windows of the cabins, providing panning views of urban or pastoral scenery during the day, at night dramatically reflect the crude lighting from within the train. As you look outside, you contemplate yourself staring back in — a reflective spectator of your own life, rendered strangely cinematic by the overlaid abstracted lights of passing villages in the distance, traffic control signals, the moon.

Being in transit is always a good time to reflect, to dream and be transported. The impermanence of time and place of train travel sets us in a liminal state where unexpected romance or international intrigue can spontaneously manifest between geographies, borders, and climates. This issue dives into the mystery of the night, where lost trains of thought are found navigating the dimly lit corridors of our fantasies. Passing through tunnels can result in loss of service — as we disconnect from externalities, we reconnect to ourselves.

Later on, at the first signs of dawn, with its passengers sound asleep, a train silently slices through the rolling landscape of the countryside with the elegance and grace of a haiku.

— Savinien Caracostea, Editor in Chief