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The poetry of bus stops...
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00:00:56,715 --> 00:01:03,065
It is the poetry of small forms, the
poetry of small architectural objects.
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00:01:05,589 --> 00:01:08,029
It is the poetry of the earth.
4
00:02:12,753 --> 00:02:14,040
Hey, pussycat.
5
00:02:23,730 --> 00:02:28,690
It's a chilly morning here in
Gori, the birthplace of Stalin.
6
00:02:30,369 --> 00:02:33,769
Just trying to find my way out of
town and back onto the highway.
7
00:02:36,570 --> 00:02:37,906
This car is a bit of a tank,
8
00:02:37,930 --> 00:02:40,710
but I'm sure it's going to be
great going up the mountain.
9
00:02:42,350 --> 00:02:45,190
This is definitely not the way out.
10
00:02:46,750 --> 00:02:48,070
Okay, let me try that again.
11
00:03:18,930 --> 00:03:20,530
There's a bus stop I want to photograph.
12
00:03:21,630 --> 00:03:23,250
It has eluded me for years.
13
00:03:24,670 --> 00:03:27,710
It's up atop the
2,000-metre Goderdzi Pass.
14
00:03:28,670 --> 00:03:32,670
Like many of my favourite bus
stops, it is found off the beaten track,
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00:03:33,710 --> 00:03:35,770
hiding as if it didn't want any attention.
16
00:03:38,430 --> 00:03:43,050
I've been told this one has wings,
like an angel up in the clouds.
17
00:03:48,370 --> 00:03:55,110
The poet Osip Mandelstam famously
said "only in Russia poetry is respected".
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00:03:56,890 --> 00:03:58,370
It gets people killed.
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00:04:00,370 --> 00:04:02,890
He would later die on
his way to the Gulag.
20
00:04:04,590 --> 00:04:09,050
It all makes me wonder, how were these bus
stops possible during the Soviet Union?
21
00:04:18,060 --> 00:04:19,720
It's another 15 kilometres.
22
00:04:19,745 --> 00:04:21,854
The last couple of kilometres
have been really rough.
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00:04:21,879 --> 00:04:23,779
I don't know if I should actually go on.
24
00:04:24,380 --> 00:04:29,100
I mean, I want this bus stop, but...
25
00:04:29,940 --> 00:04:33,000
I mean, at some point this...
26
00:04:33,700 --> 00:04:35,076
It's ridiculous.
27
00:04:39,020 --> 00:04:43,660
I photographed my first Soviet bus
stop by chance 20 years ago in Lithuania,
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00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:45,880
while riding my bike to St Petersburg.
29
00:04:49,807 --> 00:04:52,847
Since then, I've taken
pictures of thousands.
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00:04:57,456 --> 00:05:00,736
When you see the bus
stops together, collected,
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00:05:01,030 --> 00:05:02,310
it becomes something grand.
32
00:05:04,750 --> 00:05:07,690
Over the years, the bus stops
have become a part of me.
33
00:05:09,050 --> 00:05:12,370
Even in my dreams at
night, I'm driving, searching,
34
00:05:12,730 --> 00:05:16,310
finding weird magical creations
that I long for when I wake up.
35
00:06:44,159 --> 00:06:46,639
The bus stops are disappearing so fast.
36
00:06:50,106 --> 00:06:53,606
If I come back a year from
now, they could be gone,
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00:06:53,906 --> 00:06:55,405
demolished or rebuilt.
38
00:06:59,269 --> 00:07:02,009
These pictures may be
all that's left in the end.
39
00:07:03,357 --> 00:07:05,697
I want to give them
some kind of immortality.
40
00:07:16,012 --> 00:07:20,068
Not all the bus stops created
in the Soviet Union were special,
41
00:07:20,446 --> 00:07:23,066
or what I would call a hero.
42
00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:25,920
Hundreds of thousands
were built in basic designs,
43
00:07:26,380 --> 00:07:27,420
but thousands weren't.
44
00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:31,120
Unfortunately, it's not
easy to find the unique ones.
45
00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:33,440
They can literally be anywhere.
46
00:07:35,952 --> 00:07:37,352
Good day.
47
00:07:38,540 --> 00:07:43,632
I am working on a project about
old bus stops, the architecture.
48
00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:48,156
Do you know where this
beautiful bus stop is?
49
00:07:48,180 --> 00:07:52,900
This is Tjernelivka and
you are going to Tjepelivka.
50
00:08:00,833 --> 00:08:04,387
I wish I spoke better Russian
so I understood exactly what they said.
51
00:08:05,523 --> 00:08:09,363
- Drive there to the traffic light.
- And after the traffic lights?
52
00:08:09,542 --> 00:08:13,462
- Then you just have to go straight ahead.
- Straight?
53
00:08:13,603 --> 00:08:18,603
It's after the traffic lights.
I think so.
54
00:08:19,810 --> 00:08:22,296
Thereare no records or
archives to work from
55
00:08:22,321 --> 00:08:25,283
so in the end, I just have to
drive as much as I can.
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00:08:27,420 --> 00:08:32,880
So far I've covered over 50,000
kilometres of roads in all 15 countries.
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00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:36,103
The Soviet Union was massive
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00:08:36,127 --> 00:08:40,426
and had a road
network of almost 2 million kilometres.
59
00:09:03,490 --> 00:09:09,306
Since I can't drive every single road, I
try and do as much homework as I can.
60
00:09:09,330 --> 00:09:14,550
But too often, I find a bus
stop, and by the time I get there,
61
00:09:14,990 --> 00:09:15,990
it's already gone.
62
00:09:22,037 --> 00:09:23,617
Definitely not on that road.
63
00:09:29,140 --> 00:09:35,572
And at the crossroads you
have to go straight ahead.
64
00:10:06,300 --> 00:10:09,580
This bus stop is exciting and beautiful.
65
00:10:09,820 --> 00:10:12,720
In Canada they are all so boring.
66
00:10:29,860 --> 00:10:32,340
The bus stops, they're a mystery to me.
67
00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:37,280
Despite their humble
size, they seem so brave.
68
00:10:39,300 --> 00:10:42,020
Were these unique
designs an act of rebellion?
69
00:10:42,860 --> 00:10:47,400
A discreet cry for freedom in a
society where everything was controlled?
70
00:10:50,887 --> 00:10:53,763
Or was this all part of
Soviet state propaganda?
71
00:10:55,773 --> 00:10:57,120
Who made these?
72
00:11:08,043 --> 00:11:11,723
In Soviet cities,
housing construction has priority.
73
00:11:12,289 --> 00:11:15,566
The soviet industrial might has
been turned
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00:11:15,590 --> 00:11:18,163
to the biggest housing program
in the history of the world.
75
00:11:18,482 --> 00:11:21,928
There are fourteen other republics
in the Soviet Union.
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00:11:21,953 --> 00:11:24,338
And many minority nationalities.
77
00:11:24,987 --> 00:11:27,881
47% of the people are not Russian.
78
00:11:28,314 --> 00:11:31,387
The Soviet economy,
regulated by a central plan,
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00:11:31,507 --> 00:11:33,615
Puts a low priority on things like
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00:11:33,639 --> 00:11:36,494
fashionable clothing
that are not necessities.
81
00:11:39,463 --> 00:11:44,056
In this land, all forms of communication
are controlled by the State.
82
00:11:44,776 --> 00:11:47,383
The Bolshevik revolutionaries recognised
83
00:11:47,596 --> 00:11:51,616
that the arts could be powerful tools
in moulding the new society.
84
00:11:52,250 --> 00:11:57,084
The fine arts of music or painting
could also carry political messages.
85
00:11:57,504 --> 00:11:59,171
Art must be useful,
86
00:11:59,421 --> 00:12:01,948
and experimentation is discouraged.
87
00:12:02,266 --> 00:12:07,986
And since the 1930s, there has been no
place for the artist who is an individual.
88
00:12:26,897 --> 00:12:29,841
The initial idea in the 1960s,
89
00:12:29,875 --> 00:12:34,383
if we're talking about this
Modernist, post-Stalinist period,
90
00:12:34,943 --> 00:12:39,517
was to build everything cheap
and easy and quick,
91
00:12:39,541 --> 00:12:43,163
with standard designs.
92
00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:52,400
Soviet system wanted to all be planned.
93
00:13:13,649 --> 00:13:18,549
A Latvian friend once joked to me about
how everything back then was standardized,
94
00:13:18,770 --> 00:13:19,770
even the food.
95
00:13:21,190 --> 00:13:23,953
A chicken Kiev ordered
in Tashkent or Murmansk
96
00:13:23,977 --> 00:13:26,370
would look and taste exactly the same.
97
00:13:33,677 --> 00:13:38,597
Whereas the collection of bus
stops is full of unstandardized designs.
98
00:13:41,030 --> 00:13:43,910
In an era where everything
was so controlled,
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00:13:44,490 --> 00:13:46,950
part of me wishes for
one easy explanation.
100
00:13:47,630 --> 00:13:50,710
A beautiful central master
plan for the bus stops.
101
00:13:51,290 --> 00:13:52,290
But none exist.
102
00:13:55,450 --> 00:13:58,026
There are no official
records of who made them.
103
00:13:58,050 --> 00:14:00,590
So every time I track
down one of the creators,
104
00:14:01,150 --> 00:14:02,370
it's a huge victory.
105
00:14:03,883 --> 00:14:10,163
- My name is Enu Mäela.
- And my name is Jüri Konsap.
106
00:14:10,323 --> 00:14:17,563
Horse flies. We had them back then.
With two wings and so on, just smaller.
107
00:14:17,723 --> 00:14:25,483
Probably they were hungry, like us.
There was far less food back then.
108
00:14:25,643 --> 00:14:28,736
So it took more work to survive.
109
00:14:29,637 --> 00:14:33,957
We made this bus stop.
110
00:14:34,570 --> 00:14:41,432
I never heard it called
anything other than "the spider".
111
00:14:43,850 --> 00:14:46,115
It looks like one.
112
00:14:48,460 --> 00:14:51,839
In 1971, Yuri and Enu
created this wooden spider
113
00:14:51,863 --> 00:14:55,310
for this furniture factory they worked at.
114
00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:05,132
The Soviet artist
Mayakovsky famously said,
115
00:15:05,156 --> 00:15:09,520
art should not be mainly in
dead shrines called museums.
116
00:15:10,660 --> 00:15:14,140
Instead, it should be on the
streets and in the factories.
117
00:15:27,740 --> 00:15:32,040
As we've seen several times,
it's right outside of a factory.
118
00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:36,840
Totally unique design, obviously
they've just had it made for the workers,
119
00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:38,160
for the factory.
120
00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:40,020
It's kind of cool.
121
00:15:43,830 --> 00:15:47,610
In 400 metres, your
destination will be on the left.
122
00:15:47,970 --> 00:15:48,970
Okay, look at that.
123
00:15:50,150 --> 00:15:52,910
And the windmill actually
works on this thing.
124
00:15:55,410 --> 00:15:57,050
Oh, God, it's slippery.
125
00:15:59,203 --> 00:16:02,823
- Do you like our bus stop?
- Yes, I've come to see it.
126
00:16:04,356 --> 00:16:10,683
I am working on a project
where I photograph bus stops.
127
00:16:10,843 --> 00:16:15,523
I am a librarian and was
wondering what you found interesting.
128
00:16:15,683 --> 00:16:23,203
- I think it's beautiful.
- Our factory director built it.
129
00:16:23,363 --> 00:16:28,283
Okay. Interesting. Goodbye.
130
00:16:29,603 --> 00:16:34,403
Yes, it works. Ball bearings.
131
00:16:39,883 --> 00:16:44,883
- It's great.
- It stalls when the wind is calm.
132
00:16:48,630 --> 00:16:50,450
They don't seem that vicious.
133
00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:57,840
So since now photo and
video shooting is prohibited,
134
00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:01,700
we'll just get close to the
bus station, you just shoot.
135
00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:15,840
What makes Chernobyl fascinating for me
is that it's pretty much frozen in time.
136
00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:18,560
Very little has been removed or changed.
137
00:17:19,060 --> 00:17:21,080
No one is tearing down the bus stops here.
138
00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:29,140
You can see on the glass here still this
imprint of the A for Octopus with wings,
139
00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:31,000
which I think is quite cool.
140
00:17:34,443 --> 00:17:36,410
- Look straight ahead?
- Up here.
141
00:17:43,380 --> 00:17:47,368
We're standing on it, and you see that
the guy with the counter is just going off
142
00:17:47,392 --> 00:17:51,380
because of the radiation that travelled
deeper into the soil after the accident.
143
00:17:54,860 --> 00:17:55,860
I'm freezing.
144
00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:12,560
Oh, but there's also little animal prints.
145
00:18:13,420 --> 00:18:15,060
An animal came from somewhere over there.
146
00:18:16,120 --> 00:18:20,040
You can see maybe a rabbit or something.
147
00:18:21,995 --> 00:18:22,995
Quite like the bear.
148
00:18:23,020 --> 00:18:25,619
I mean, I guess it
looks quite like the bear
149
00:18:25,643 --> 00:18:29,700
they had as their official mascot
for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
150
00:18:30,460 --> 00:18:35,560
I mean, I guess what it was used
for is that's the main road to the plant,
151
00:18:35,700 --> 00:18:37,120
and then this is a turn-off here.
152
00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:39,680
Even though there isn't a
house or anything around here,
153
00:18:40,620 --> 00:18:44,740
people would, I guess, switch
buses or change buses to go up to this.
154
00:18:45,340 --> 00:18:49,560
There's a military surveillance
centre up at the end of this road,
155
00:18:50,020 --> 00:18:54,600
which the Soviets used
to detect missile launches.
156
00:18:57,890 --> 00:19:02,550
As a child, I often pictured the
Iron Curtain being a physical thing.
157
00:19:04,310 --> 00:19:09,130
The Dugar radar system near Chernobyl,
nicknamed the Russian Woodpecker,
158
00:19:09,530 --> 00:19:11,010
is close to what I imagined.
159
00:19:12,970 --> 00:19:17,275
Besides missile detection, it also
transmitted a sharp staccato sound
160
00:19:17,299 --> 00:19:20,270
disrupting radio
communications with the West,
161
00:19:23,550 --> 00:19:26,230
leaving people to wonder
what was on the other side.
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00:19:41,103 --> 00:19:44,376
Welcome to Minsk, ladies and gentlemen,
please remain seated
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00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:48,900
with your seat belts fastened until the
seat belt signs have been switched off.
164
00:19:51,443 --> 00:19:55,643
When we talk about the Soviet era -
165
00:19:55,803 --> 00:19:59,923
- is it primarily as
a totalitarian period.
166
00:20:00,083 --> 00:20:04,563
There was only one ideology.
167
00:20:04,723 --> 00:20:10,163
People's focus was on
fixed, predetermined ideals.
168
00:20:10,329 --> 00:20:17,818
There was to be only one style in
architecture, literature and music.
169
00:20:20,847 --> 00:20:25,204
One of the first major speeches of Nikita
Khrushchev after the death of Stalin
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00:20:25,229 --> 00:20:28,848
included praising the benefits
of prefabricated concrete slabs,
171
00:20:29,740 --> 00:20:32,080
the building blocks of a socialist utopia.
172
00:20:33,020 --> 00:20:35,401
Khrushchevka became the unofficial name
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00:20:35,425 --> 00:20:38,480
of the rows of easy-to-construct
apartment blocks,
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00:20:39,060 --> 00:20:41,980
using these revolutionary
concrete panels.
175
00:20:42,259 --> 00:20:47,083
660 million square metres -
176
00:20:47,243 --> 00:20:51,403
- or approximately 15
million apartments...
177
00:20:51,563 --> 00:20:55,563
The party indicated a
solution to the housing problem:
178
00:20:55,723 --> 00:20:58,723
The creation of a strong
construction industry.
179
00:20:58,883 --> 00:21:02,363
And such an industry has been created.
180
00:21:02,523 --> 00:21:07,683
Spread across the country, there
are 1800 mechanized factories -
181
00:21:07,708 --> 00:21:11,306
- producing large concrete
blocks for the construction of houses.
182
00:21:16,620 --> 00:21:23,959
♪ Bridges are built from bank to bank. ♪
183
00:21:24,180 --> 00:21:32,180
♪ And everything that catches the eye
is created by construction workers. ♪
184
00:21:32,205 --> 00:21:37,630
♪ And everything that catches the eye
is created by construction workers. ♪
185
00:21:40,983 --> 00:21:44,531
I suspect some of these concrete slabs...
186
00:21:44,570 --> 00:21:47,230
You can see that they
have like little hooks on them.
187
00:21:47,310 --> 00:21:49,684
I think they're sort of prefab concrete
188
00:21:49,708 --> 00:21:53,490
that probably has a different
purpose originally and was just,
189
00:21:54,250 --> 00:21:56,348
you know, they used what they had
190
00:21:56,372 --> 00:21:59,750
and sort of tried to make
something quirky out of it.
191
00:22:00,570 --> 00:22:03,750
It's simple, it's kind of
clean, but it's a cool bus stop.
192
00:22:04,010 --> 00:22:07,030
It reminds me a lot of my
favourite from Kazakhstan,
193
00:22:07,930 --> 00:22:11,310
that's also in sort of a similar
kind of wheat field setting.
194
00:22:33,100 --> 00:22:35,980
Historians claim that like
everything in the Soviet Union,
195
00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:39,480
the unique bus stops only exist
because they carry a message.
196
00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:43,240
Obviously, some were Soviet propaganda.
197
00:22:44,420 --> 00:22:46,980
But I don't think that
was always the case.
198
00:22:50,420 --> 00:22:53,800
I often regret naming my
books Soviet bus stops.
199
00:22:56,080 --> 00:23:01,036
Many celebrate a local town or a
region more than the Soviet state,
200
00:23:01,060 --> 00:23:05,380
while others just celebrate the
creative spirit of whoever made it.
201
00:23:06,203 --> 00:23:09,643
The uniqueness of a bus stop -
202
00:23:09,803 --> 00:23:17,803
- was also based on regional differences -
203
00:23:18,436 --> 00:23:21,567
- between different republics.
204
00:23:22,122 --> 00:23:27,978
Belarus had their solutions,
we Lithuanians had ours.
205
00:23:28,138 --> 00:23:31,858
Other republics also differed.
206
00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:34,180
They became a place to gather.
207
00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:37,756
They brought art to the public
208
00:23:37,780 --> 00:23:42,600
and often involved the local community in
the construction and decorating process.
209
00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:45,720
One could see this as socialism in action.
210
00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:50,880
Or, is the fact that I'm thinking this,
proof that they are all propaganda?
211
00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:56,220
And I am Lenin's Polesny-Durak, a
useful idiot seduced by the master plan.
212
00:23:57,713 --> 00:23:59,816
I've been looking forward
to finding this bus stop.
213
00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:01,080
It's really quite wild.
214
00:24:01,660 --> 00:24:07,220
As you can see, it's a bird which sort of
can climb inside its wings for protection.
215
00:24:07,420 --> 00:24:10,480
So I mean, I think this is one of
the more sort of outlandish designs,
216
00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:11,640
which I really quite like.
217
00:24:11,700 --> 00:24:13,120
I think it's, yeah, a lot of fun.
218
00:24:33,740 --> 00:24:38,096
For me, the bus stops are an alternative
window in which to view the Soviet era.
219
00:24:38,120 --> 00:24:43,900
The state was brutal, but I'm
interested in what the individuals did.
220
00:24:45,165 --> 00:24:49,218
The Soviet period was
an absolutely cruel moment
221
00:24:49,246 --> 00:24:55,153
but on the other hand, it's a huge
part of the history of our country.
222
00:24:55,178 --> 00:24:57,983
A huge part of the history
of our lives.
223
00:24:58,008 --> 00:25:02,617
We tried to sow in this period
some positive moments.
224
00:25:02,642 --> 00:25:08,755
For example, some progressive points of
culture, some progressive points of art.
225
00:25:24,660 --> 00:25:27,340
You ask "why bus stops?".
226
00:25:28,060 --> 00:25:33,020
In the socialist world, individual
transportation was limited.
227
00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:37,900
It was not developed.
People didn't have cars to a large extent.
228
00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:44,840
The entire system was built on bus routes.
229
00:25:45,100 --> 00:25:47,540
That was what united the country.
230
00:26:09,389 --> 00:26:13,621
The bus stop made sure we got a new road.
231
00:26:13,850 --> 00:26:18,813
We didn't wait for an order
but made it for the locals.
232
00:26:18,950 --> 00:26:24,061
No one saw it as something Soviet.
It was ours.
233
00:26:24,803 --> 00:26:27,483
It had to be comfortable and look good.
234
00:26:44,010 --> 00:26:47,630
How did the bus stops get away
with not being standardized?
235
00:26:49,573 --> 00:26:54,020
One reason is that the bus stops were
classified as a minor architectural form.
236
00:26:56,140 --> 00:26:58,420
There's something to
be said about being small,
237
00:26:59,100 --> 00:27:01,800
non-threatening, quiet.
238
00:27:04,266 --> 00:27:06,326
I think this is what
I've been looking for.
239
00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:09,780
I don't know what is in the pipes.
240
00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:11,800
Maybe it's gas or some kind of water.
241
00:27:13,300 --> 00:27:16,375
But in the towns, because they
don't bury them always underground,
242
00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:18,273
so they have them out of ground.
243
00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:21,953
And so you'll often see them built up
like this where people drive through.
244
00:27:22,513 --> 00:27:25,033
And the pipe is running
straight into the bus stop.
245
00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:27,511
And so they've actually built in the pipe
246
00:27:27,535 --> 00:27:30,860
to go up and over and
support it on top of the bus stop.
247
00:27:38,603 --> 00:27:43,832
When we talk about
smaller small buildings,
248
00:27:44,165 --> 00:27:50,980
there were no regulations and rules.
249
00:27:51,729 --> 00:27:57,168
Everything was based on the
architects' knowledge and ideas,
250
00:27:57,540 --> 00:28:01,220
which were then implemented.
251
00:28:01,271 --> 00:28:05,858
The bus stops in the
cities were standardized.
252
00:28:07,180 --> 00:28:09,760
That made them cheaper to build.
253
00:28:12,020 --> 00:28:18,180
The bus stops in the
countryside were not standardized.
254
00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:30,480
- Try saying that again.
- The NATO forces are getting closer.
255
00:28:31,780 --> 00:28:36,500
- Closer? I do not understand.
- Your Russian is bad.
256
00:28:36,586 --> 00:28:40,526
Yes, I'm sorry about that.
But the road should be good?
257
00:28:41,749 --> 00:28:45,146
- It goes through the taiga.
- Taiga?
258
00:28:45,460 --> 00:28:48,880
- It is a type of forest.
- Thanks. Goodbye.
259
00:28:49,403 --> 00:28:50,996
Good luck.
260
00:29:20,769 --> 00:29:25,109
I am very interested in this bus stop.
261
00:29:25,683 --> 00:29:29,906
Why is there such a beautiful one here?
262
00:29:30,656 --> 00:29:34,116
I do not know.
Our village is very beautiful.
263
00:29:34,370 --> 00:29:42,230
They have put a burkhan on top.
We have everything. We have berries.
264
00:29:42,510 --> 00:29:48,985
Okay. And is this the
traditional architecture?
265
00:29:49,070 --> 00:29:54,426
- Your bus is coming.
- My daughter at home knows languages.
266
00:29:54,975 --> 00:29:57,490
Thanks. Take care.
267
00:30:08,072 --> 00:30:13,008
Of course, the farther from
the centre, the less control.
268
00:30:13,033 --> 00:30:15,573
It's a huge territory, you know.
269
00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:18,280
You can't control
everything from one point.
270
00:30:25,283 --> 00:30:30,983
Or maybe there was some
strong local figure who has control,
271
00:30:31,130 --> 00:30:36,190
but he wants to do something different
that was suggested from the centre.
272
00:30:44,070 --> 00:30:48,570
The late George Shikava was one
of those local officials with influence.
273
00:30:49,170 --> 00:30:52,446
He was the deputy minister of
highway construction in Georgia.
274
00:30:52,470 --> 00:30:54,856
At the same time, he was an architect
275
00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:58,950
and helped design the iconic
ministry building where he worked.
276
00:31:01,450 --> 00:31:03,690
This building up here is really cool.
277
00:31:03,850 --> 00:31:05,950
It used to be the
Ministry of Transportation.
278
00:31:07,450 --> 00:31:10,797
More importantly, he used
his position in the late 1960s
279
00:31:10,821 --> 00:31:15,450
to really push the limits and become
a pioneer in bus stop experimentation,
280
00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:25,120
inspiring artists
throughout the Soviet Union.
281
00:31:30,030 --> 00:31:36,580
Shikava was deputy minister of
the Ministry of Car Roads.
282
00:31:37,010 --> 00:31:40,356
In this case, he was
basically a commissioner
283
00:31:40,380 --> 00:31:42,810
and commissionee in one person.
284
00:31:43,110 --> 00:31:44,590
- He was the client.
- Exactly.
285
00:31:44,990 --> 00:31:48,590
And I guess it gave
him, as a deputy minister,
286
00:31:48,850 --> 00:31:52,388
as a chief architect, it
gave him a lot of freedom
287
00:31:52,412 --> 00:31:55,950
to design what he wanted
or the way he imagined.
288
00:31:56,210 --> 00:32:00,590
So he gave total freedom to his
imagination to create this form.
289
00:32:07,770 --> 00:32:08,770
This is amazing.
290
00:32:08,990 --> 00:32:11,590
This is it being built.
291
00:32:13,250 --> 00:32:14,430
And what are we looking at?
292
00:32:14,470 --> 00:32:15,690
It's like a metal frame.
293
00:32:16,170 --> 00:32:18,770
They would experiment on this part.
294
00:32:18,896 --> 00:32:20,010
Was it formed?
295
00:32:20,130 --> 00:32:22,317
Was there wood around that they poured in?
296
00:32:22,342 --> 00:32:23,345
No, no, no.
297
00:32:23,370 --> 00:32:26,430
They applied it with the
hand, just like very primitively,
298
00:32:26,455 --> 00:32:27,465
very basically.
299
00:32:27,490 --> 00:32:29,590
They would put cement
and then make it straight.
300
00:32:29,890 --> 00:32:32,070
And this was in the late 60s?
301
00:32:32,230 --> 00:32:35,310
This was late 60s, early 70s.
302
00:32:40,923 --> 00:32:43,931
How does it work?
- Look there.
303
00:32:43,955 --> 00:32:46,963
Do you want to photograph me?
304
00:32:50,630 --> 00:32:54,470
There was quite a lovely exchange.
305
00:32:56,270 --> 00:33:01,830
Lively, I mean to say, exchange between
architects from different republics.
306
00:33:02,010 --> 00:33:05,810
So people knew what was
happening in other places.
307
00:33:06,770 --> 00:33:11,910
And maybe they got challenged
and wanted to make better.
308
00:33:15,523 --> 00:33:21,203
It was some kind of club.
It was a friendship.
309
00:33:21,457 --> 00:33:25,905
I worked in the road system.
310
00:33:25,930 --> 00:33:28,670
We met once or twice a year.
311
00:33:29,010 --> 00:33:35,990
These are the medals I received
in Moscow for my bus stop.
312
00:33:36,650 --> 00:33:43,330
I am very proud to have
had the opportunity.
313
00:33:43,490 --> 00:33:45,990
The goal was not to be
rewarded, but we were invited,
314
00:33:46,950 --> 00:33:50,410
we met and exchanged ideas.
315
00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:59,123
I used my imagination.
316
00:33:59,773 --> 00:34:06,003
What is the purpose of a bus stop?
317
00:34:06,619 --> 00:34:14,115
It must protect those waiting
from rain, sun and snow.
318
00:34:17,624 --> 00:34:23,239
The hole here can be used
to see if the bus is on its way.
319
00:34:24,240 --> 00:34:31,120
It is also important that the
bus stop is nice to look at.
320
00:34:32,700 --> 00:34:34,440
It should beautify the road.
321
00:34:38,818 --> 00:34:41,351
I think they do beautify the road.
322
00:34:41,524 --> 00:34:44,334
A woman once told me that
seeing the photos now
323
00:34:44,358 --> 00:34:49,712
reminded her of being a child, travelling
on holiday from Vilnius to the Black Sea.
324
00:34:49,950 --> 00:34:51,899
She would just stare out the window,
325
00:34:51,923 --> 00:34:55,670
waiting for the fun-looking bus
stops to entertain her along the way.
326
00:34:56,590 --> 00:34:58,010
They're happy memories for her.
327
00:35:14,116 --> 00:35:16,996
Amazing, brutal bus stop
here just outside of Samarkand.
328
00:35:17,048 --> 00:35:18,138
Love it.
329
00:35:18,163 --> 00:35:21,323
I mean, sharp lines,
nothing I've ever seen before.
330
00:35:21,910 --> 00:35:23,150
It's close to the airport.
331
00:35:23,310 --> 00:35:29,410
You can see they've got an old, like,
Soviet Aeroflot mosaic on the wall here.
332
00:35:31,623 --> 00:35:34,143
No, it's great.
333
00:35:34,383 --> 00:35:40,245
Nice, open scenery behind it,
nothing really obscuring it too much.
334
00:35:40,270 --> 00:35:43,650
I mean, it's a bit tough with
the traffic to find the right angle,
335
00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:47,150
but I think I'm going to get something
that I'm really going to love here.
336
00:35:47,563 --> 00:35:51,186
You have to go into town.
It is beautiful in the city.
337
00:35:51,210 --> 00:35:54,430
In Samarkand? Yes, it is beautiful.
338
00:35:55,316 --> 00:36:00,716
You can take beautiful pictures there.
It's not pretty here.
339
00:36:00,930 --> 00:36:05,190
No, no, I'm interested
in the architecture here.
340
00:36:17,970 --> 00:36:21,150
It looks like the one in the picture,
but it doesn't look good in real life.
341
00:36:21,773 --> 00:36:23,130
It's not beautiful.
342
00:36:23,810 --> 00:36:24,810
OK.
343
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,517
I always thought it was a rooster or
a chicken or something, but it's a...
344
00:36:55,541 --> 00:36:56,980
Well, they called it elephant.
345
00:36:57,160 --> 00:36:58,356
There is a sketch...
346
00:36:58,380 --> 00:37:00,680
There's also, close to this,
there's one that's a fish.
347
00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:06,693
There is a fish, there is
a cat, there is a saddle,
348
00:37:06,781 --> 00:37:09,680
This one is this blue octopus, yeah.
349
00:37:10,300 --> 00:37:11,300
That's how it started?
350
00:37:11,522 --> 00:37:12,640
That's how it started.
351
00:37:12,720 --> 00:37:13,720
Oh, my God.
352
00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:14,760
Oh, that's so groovy.
353
00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:17,297
- And so a car crashed into this?
- Yeah.
354
00:37:17,321 --> 00:37:18,580
And then they took it down.
355
00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:20,320
Unfortunately.
356
00:37:20,780 --> 00:37:23,200
The concrete octopus
was one of my favourites.
357
00:37:24,120 --> 00:37:27,080
The older a bus stop gets,
the worse it looks,
358
00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:29,240
and some people think
they're an embarrassment.
359
00:37:29,580 --> 00:37:31,976
There is a food stall or a small shop.
360
00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:33,573
When I'm photographing them,
361
00:37:33,597 --> 00:37:35,566
I often have to try to convince people
362
00:37:35,590 --> 00:37:38,340
that I'm not trying to make
their community look bad,
363
00:37:39,180 --> 00:37:40,504
but rather the opposite,
364
00:37:40,528 --> 00:37:44,356
that the bus stop is something
special that I want to make look good.
365
00:37:44,380 --> 00:37:45,380
Hello.
366
00:37:46,540 --> 00:37:48,400
Good day.
I am a photographer from Canada...
367
00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:51,920
- It's not a gallery, it's a market.
- Market?
368
00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:58,097
Yes, it's a market.
There's no gallery here.
369
00:37:58,121 --> 00:38:00,940
Here you can buy
pomegranates and clementines.
370
00:38:02,140 --> 00:38:07,356
- I'm making a photo book...
- There's nothing here.
371
00:38:07,380 --> 00:38:13,876
They were never published, you
know, as an expression of people's art.
372
00:38:13,900 --> 00:38:16,680
So it was just ignored.
373
00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:22,100
Most bus stops retained some
resemblance to a functioning shelter,
374
00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:25,803
while others took full advantage of the
opportunity
375
00:38:25,827 --> 00:38:28,320
and were more art than anything else.
376
00:38:28,900 --> 00:38:31,760
Without a care if it worked as a bus stop.
377
00:38:34,923 --> 00:38:40,843
I cannot answer why there is
no roof. That's their problem.
378
00:38:41,003 --> 00:38:43,723
I make art.
379
00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:49,020
The Black Sea coast, at the time
also known as the Soviet Riviera,
380
00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:50,980
was a popular holiday escape.
381
00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:55,540
It was here in the late 60s
a young Georgian artist,
382
00:38:56,060 --> 00:39:00,640
Zurab Tsereteli, would decorate
bus stops using colourful mosaic tiles.
383
00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:03,780
He would go on to a
prolific career as an artist.
384
00:39:04,399 --> 00:39:07,176
I decorated many bus stops.
385
00:39:07,259 --> 00:39:09,336
And here it is.
386
00:39:15,260 --> 00:39:17,351
This is my mosaic.
387
00:39:20,653 --> 00:39:22,766
My name is Zurab Tsereteli.
388
00:39:26,720 --> 00:39:32,580
I'm still young.
Because when you make art -
389
00:39:33,599 --> 00:39:36,939
- you don't get old
because you work every day.
390
00:39:38,159 --> 00:39:46,019
These great architects from
the state project invited me to it.
391
00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:50,717
I worked with them after art academy.
392
00:39:51,020 --> 00:39:55,940
It was extremely educational.
Why I made them?
393
00:39:56,060 --> 00:39:58,776
Because they required
the hand of an artist.
394
00:39:59,370 --> 00:40:05,315
You cannot deviate from the forms.
An artist's hand must touch everything -
395
00:40:05,340 --> 00:40:08,920
- from a toilet door
396
00:40:08,986 --> 00:40:13,680
to a large architectural work.
397
00:40:22,776 --> 00:40:25,453
Something's wrong with the sound.
398
00:40:26,633 --> 00:40:28,301
Can you hear me?
399
00:40:29,508 --> 00:40:32,688
Hi Victor. How are you?
400
00:40:34,413 --> 00:40:35,753
I'm well.
401
00:40:35,860 --> 00:40:39,440
Good, good. Same here.
402
00:40:41,700 --> 00:40:43,861
I could feel inside,
403
00:40:44,775 --> 00:40:47,462
with these projects,
404
00:40:47,517 --> 00:40:55,060
that I wanted to work with
the aesthetics of bus stops.
405
00:40:56,720 --> 00:41:01,320
Because it is a living organism.
406
00:41:01,587 --> 00:41:06,417
There are many who meet there
and chat, and then they part again.
407
00:41:09,119 --> 00:41:13,089
When drawing small buildings,
408
00:41:14,049 --> 00:41:20,716
it is important to take the
surroundings into consideration.
409
00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:29,080
From a philosophical point of
view, a road reminds me of music.
410
00:41:29,300 --> 00:41:35,846
Because just as music
moves forward in time -
411
00:41:35,870 --> 00:41:39,696
- a road does the same.
412
00:41:39,816 --> 00:41:46,220
That's why it's not just about
big things and loud noises -
413
00:41:46,260 --> 00:41:49,920
- but also about the
small pauses and silences.
414
00:42:21,200 --> 00:42:24,020
Harman calls it the poetry of the road.
415
00:42:27,340 --> 00:42:30,540
This is also what gets me
excited about photographing them.
416
00:42:31,060 --> 00:42:34,520
Trying to find the best angle
that shows off the bus stop,
417
00:42:34,820 --> 00:42:37,940
but balanced with its
relationship to the surroundings.
418
00:42:46,030 --> 00:42:51,950
I mean, this fog really helps pull
the bus stop out from the background,
419
00:42:52,210 --> 00:42:53,650
and it's nice.
420
00:42:53,790 --> 00:42:58,470
I really like this much
more than a sunny blue sky.
421
00:42:59,470 --> 00:43:02,326
Not that I'm trying to make it
look depressing or anything,
422
00:43:02,350 --> 00:43:06,690
I just want the bus stop to
stand out from its surroundings.
423
00:43:07,370 --> 00:43:12,910
Fog and snow and clean
horizons help me do that.
424
00:43:31,880 --> 00:43:39,219
♪ The smooth run of my fate. ♪
425
00:43:39,243 --> 00:43:46,843
♪ Night, sorrow and
the glitter of the soul. ♪
426
00:43:47,006 --> 00:43:54,310
♪ Moonlight and rainy days in May. ♪
427
00:43:56,963 --> 00:44:03,963
♪ At dawn, voices call to me. ♪
428
00:44:04,056 --> 00:44:08,645
♪ At dawn, voices call... ♪
429
00:44:25,886 --> 00:44:28,460
For me there's a sense of
freedom to these bus stops,
430
00:44:28,947 --> 00:44:32,504
maybe because no one was
signing their name in the concrete.
431
00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:40,480
Sometimes an architect could
sketch up a design in the Ukraine.
432
00:44:41,100 --> 00:44:44,356
It would make its way to a
construction team in Tajikistan.
433
00:44:44,380 --> 00:44:48,340
They would use it to create
something on their own.
434
00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:50,640
Getting credit wasn't an issue.
435
00:44:51,320 --> 00:44:55,920
It was all just a rare opportunity to
take an idea and see where it leads.
436
00:44:56,560 --> 00:44:59,940
No fame was involved,
but also no real blame.
437
00:45:00,700 --> 00:45:03,020
A liberating thought when
it comes to being creative.
438
00:45:45,680 --> 00:45:50,980
The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and
that was also the end of the bus stops.
439
00:45:51,660 --> 00:45:55,220
Investing in unique bus stops
is unlikely in a capitalist society.
440
00:45:55,700 --> 00:45:58,040
Even preserving them is not a priority.
441
00:45:59,240 --> 00:46:01,228
When I photographed this one,
442
00:46:01,253 --> 00:46:04,464
I had no idea that the legendary
architect George Chikava created it
443
00:46:04,834 --> 00:46:08,106
using interlocking concrete
components that he designed.
444
00:46:15,970 --> 00:46:18,347
I guess there used to be an old road here,
445
00:46:18,570 --> 00:46:21,629
so they've just kind of
left it in the farmer's field.
446
00:46:22,150 --> 00:46:24,850
They've built a new bus
stop over there, right beside it.
447
00:46:28,520 --> 00:46:32,640
This bus stop was demolished
a year after I photographed it.
448
00:46:37,940 --> 00:46:40,229
Nanna Zaleshvili is part of a new movement
449
00:46:40,253 --> 00:46:42,975
of young people growing
up after the Soviet Union
450
00:46:42,999 --> 00:46:45,720
who are trying to save
some of the hero bus stops.
451
00:46:46,940 --> 00:46:49,900
Society started to think
about how to preserve them.
452
00:46:50,360 --> 00:46:52,300
Is this something we
really want to have here,
453
00:46:52,400 --> 00:46:54,320
or should we demolish
and put the new ones?
454
00:47:02,720 --> 00:47:04,276
It is something to think about.
455
00:47:04,300 --> 00:47:08,800
Does all art created under an
oppressive regime represent that regime?
456
00:47:10,800 --> 00:47:13,344
Because for me, the bus stops are more
457
00:47:13,368 --> 00:47:17,660
individual creativity being
expressed in spite of state control.
458
00:47:19,120 --> 00:47:23,980
They stand at the side of the road
kind of like small defiant acts of poetry.
459
00:47:27,140 --> 00:47:30,336
Still, for millions, the Soviet
Union was a brutal occupation.
460
00:47:30,360 --> 00:47:34,540
And for some, these bus stops
are a painful reminder of that era.
461
00:47:36,340 --> 00:47:41,560
So I also do understand if some
want them removed or to reclaim them.
462
00:47:45,710 --> 00:47:49,970
You can see where there's like, up in
here, this was obviously like a flower.
463
00:47:51,690 --> 00:47:54,466
God knows what else was going on, but...
464
00:47:54,490 --> 00:47:56,763
I mean, you can see on
the outside of the bus stop,
465
00:47:56,823 --> 00:47:58,732
they haven't painted over it,
466
00:47:58,756 --> 00:48:04,110
so you can actually see how colourful and
vibrant the mosaics were on the inside.
467
00:48:21,174 --> 00:48:25,100
One and a half years ago, there was
a special decommunisation law
468
00:48:25,227 --> 00:48:30,756
This law says that all Soviet symbols
will be demolished in a public space.
469
00:48:32,794 --> 00:48:36,586
Yeah, and they seem to do it
even if it isn't blatantly Soviet,
470
00:48:36,640 --> 00:48:38,285
like there was no hammer and sickle.
471
00:48:38,310 --> 00:48:40,882
Yes, it's just about being
from the Soviet period
472
00:48:40,907 --> 00:48:44,875
because this decommunisation law
created a trend.
473
00:48:44,901 --> 00:48:50,180
The Soviet era is an absolutely
a black period in our history.
474
00:48:55,363 --> 00:48:58,850
Mosaics disappeared everywhere.
475
00:48:59,300 --> 00:49:03,260
And we tried to gather
just a photo more quickly,
476
00:49:03,840 --> 00:49:07,680
ask people and artists from everywhere
477
00:49:07,705 --> 00:49:12,045
to make a photo and send
us just a photo for history.
478
00:49:33,030 --> 00:49:37,225
To fight against
destruction of the buildings
479
00:49:37,250 --> 00:49:42,972
or any structures we love
is really heartbreaking,
480
00:49:43,570 --> 00:49:48,468
because people's voices
are heard so seldom.
481
00:50:00,753 --> 00:50:04,821
It's commercial pressure, and
unfortunately,
482
00:50:04,846 --> 00:50:07,836
it also kills beauty, kills individuality.
483
00:50:08,472 --> 00:50:14,773
This standardisation is not ideological,
as it was in the Soviet times,
484
00:50:14,940 --> 00:50:21,280
not a communist standardization,
but a mass culture standardization.
485
00:50:21,320 --> 00:50:26,707
It produces ideals and foists them on us:
486
00:50:26,743 --> 00:50:30,823
"This is good. It can be sold."
487
00:50:30,883 --> 00:50:35,259
"You have to like this.
That's why it's good."
488
00:50:45,284 --> 00:50:49,731
Everywhere, in every part of the
world, you go and everything is the same.
489
00:50:52,070 --> 00:50:55,230
So these bus stops, when you
travel, even if they're totally abandoned,
490
00:50:55,390 --> 00:50:59,450
out of nowhere, gives you
some sort of feeling about shapes,
491
00:50:59,590 --> 00:51:03,590
material, what it was before,
and that's part of history.
492
00:51:04,210 --> 00:51:09,026
You like it or not, it exists,
and humans created it.
493
00:51:09,050 --> 00:51:12,290
That's why, as a young architect,
I find a lot of inspiration in it.
494
00:51:20,420 --> 00:51:28,040
Outside, wind and weather
have started to take their toll.
495
00:51:28,560 --> 00:51:32,500
Inside, you can also
see that it is worn out.
496
00:51:38,170 --> 00:51:41,110
My wife.
497
00:51:42,390 --> 00:51:46,806
My wife also worked
at the factory at the time.
498
00:51:46,830 --> 00:51:53,134
It's nice to see the bus stop now -
499
00:51:53,158 --> 00:51:59,906
- and remember when it was built.
500
00:52:00,710 --> 00:52:06,390
We created something of
value that still stands today.
501
00:52:13,560 --> 00:52:17,260
Was that all? Are we done?
502
00:52:17,483 --> 00:52:19,437
Thanks.
503
00:52:19,461 --> 00:52:25,480
I don't think a little Georgian
wine will hurt anyone.
504
00:52:27,160 --> 00:52:28,778
Here you go.
505
00:52:38,027 --> 00:52:43,867
Take something to eat. Come on, redfish.
506
00:52:45,820 --> 00:52:46,960
See you later.
507
00:52:49,233 --> 00:52:52,133
Bus stops will never stop!
508
00:52:53,160 --> 00:52:54,160
Good luck.
509
00:53:03,310 --> 00:53:04,730
The vehicle doesn't make it.
510
00:53:05,550 --> 00:53:08,150
And it turns out the road and
the pass were actually closed.
511
00:53:08,630 --> 00:53:09,630
But we did get some help.
512
00:53:13,630 --> 00:53:18,810
Lovely guy with the snow plough got me the
last 10 kilometres to the top of the hill.
513
00:53:19,830 --> 00:53:21,930
I'm very determined to see this bus stop.
514
00:53:23,990 --> 00:53:26,190
Got a little bit more
sunlight before it goes down.
515
00:53:26,530 --> 00:53:31,886
The car is stuck at the bottom of the
hill, but that will be tomorrow's news.
516
00:53:31,910 --> 00:53:36,310
I'm really worried this is just going
to be completely buried under snow.
517
00:53:37,490 --> 00:53:38,890
It's supposed to be here somewhere.
518
00:53:44,713 --> 00:53:45,926
Okay,
there it is.
519
00:53:47,706 --> 00:53:49,620
This is what it all boils down to.
520
00:53:53,850 --> 00:53:54,850
I like it.
521
00:53:58,049 --> 00:54:00,449
I like it, I might clean some snow off it.
522
00:54:14,636 --> 00:54:17,796
Love what Armin said about the road.
523
00:54:17,930 --> 00:54:18,930
It's like music.
524
00:54:19,990 --> 00:54:23,343
Not only are the loud and
the big objects important,
525
00:54:24,196 --> 00:54:27,016
but also the pauses and the quiet.
526
00:54:28,363 --> 00:54:29,683
The small things.
527
00:55:29,886 --> 00:55:32,706
Bus stops will never stop!
45808
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