Barcarolle

Five years by Regent’s Canal, framed by snow. Inspired by Chopin’s Op. 60, this project captures the nostalgic rhythm of water and the uncertainty of a transient home—a visual barcarolle reflecting the life before it meets the sea.

Barcarolle is a visual meditation on five years spent living and working along London’s Regent’s Canal. Arriving on a snowy Christmas Eve and staying far longer than intended, I found my daily ritual of walking the canal banks mirroring the undulating rhythm of Chopin’s Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op. 60.

Throughout my life, across different cities and countries, a river has always been my neighbor. I feel a profound nostalgia for being surrounded by water—a medium destined for the ocean, yet possessing a fragile, distinct identity before that final union. This project seeks to capture those "pre-ocean" moments.

The narrative follows a cycle that begins and ends with snow, framing a period defined by the friction between the comfort of routine and the weight of uncertainty. While my room gradually filled with belongings, the feeling of being a temporary passenger remained. Unlike my typical disconnect with classical music, Chopin’s Barcarolle resonated viscerally: I saw moonlight sparking on the ripples and felt the inevitable ebb of something drifting away. These images are the record of that five-year ritual—a study of the rise and fall of life at the water’s edge, caught in the tension between the sanctuary of home and the impulse to leave.