It was a Tuesday morning and I had just arrived at the Central Station. I was running as fast as I could to get to a lecture on time, however I’ve never been a sprinter, especially with a rucksack full of text books on my back, this and the fact that I had to struggle against a crowd of broody commuters, all going the other way, was not helping me to achieve my goal. Grr, commuters, I used to consider them as insane pawns moving around with no particular destination and didn’t see them as my fellow travelers.

Finally making my way out of that annoying crowd, I rushed down the wide dirty stairway leading out of the massive Fascist building that is central station. I’d always been scared by it as a child. As soon as I passed through the huge portal, however, something turned that residual fear into curiosity.

In the square in front of the station stood a number of colored human-shaped figures, modern art portraying the restless citizens of a metropolis like Milan. Though motionless and apparently lifeless, they seemed an apt imitation of real-life commuters, their plastic bodies and hearts beating to the rhythm of the congested city traffic. Their blue, red, green and yellow complexion, however, brought a colorful, fresh new look to the grey tones of the city centre. I was so fascinated by the scene that I approached its protagonists, eager to understand who they were.

by Michela Venturi