At Regent's Canal, Near Gasholder No. 8.
The Regent's Canal was completed over 200 years ago, the old towpath for horses is now paved, but still the waterway is used... I believe the canal boats have engines these days.
And either side of the canal, tower blocks have risen. One of the latest developments is known as Gasholders which, as the name suggests, incorporates the frames of original 19th century circular gasometers (Gasholders 10, 11, and 12) from the old Pancras Gasworks that used to be stationed nearby. The structures were dismantled and restored before being relocated to their current location to form a cool industrial outlook to a luxury apartment complex within. The photograph shows Gasholder No. 8 which was the largest, and instead houses a local park.
I liked how the new coexists with the old, a sense of history amidst modern development. So while I sat along the wall from this person, I waited my usual few minutes for something to happen. People came and went... cyclists, runners, friends chatting and couples walking hand in hand, but this person and myself remained still.
Despite initially hoping for something more dynamic, I realised it was the photo of the person on their own that I needed to make. I got the feeling their flat cap, jacket and boots came from a much older time when the canal boats were in their heyday bringing coal to the gasworks. I imagined a person born of a different era, happily blind to the modern way, eschewing the connected digital world of memes and social media to pass the time, instead immersing their mind in the tradition of a newspaper crossword. The pen is mightier than the stylus.
And as I get older, I too like to escape the intensity of modern living... it's nice to take a while for oneself, to stop the ride for just a moment. But of course the modern world isn't still, it's in a state of constant transition, and times change quickly, and life follows suit. Stay still for too long and it can become hard to find the motivation to jump back on life's rollercoaster again. Too often when the crossword is done and one looks up from that newspaper, then once again everything's changed...
#StoryInMonochrome 
