context: The text slips through a late-night diner. It’s my “American feeling”: a jumble of textures, absurd questions, and contrasting sensations of stretching sizes. A dynamic movement unfolds and freezes, summoning “Life is a postcard”.

The photographs capture silence itself—dim, frozen moments in the city. It is the postcard. Where a shadow falls: a lonesome figure, a leftover object, a quiet window. They reveal a pure sense of stillness suspended within the chaos of one of the busiest places in the world.

TOILES

flattened visions

Joakim is chewing a saucy vegan sandwich at the Court Square Diner. Its 11.30p:m and we needed a break. We stepped into Hopper’s bubble that’s open 24/7. The door always stands open, for anyone to sit at a clear shiny table, inside these little booths like train settings, to sit onto the leather banks and order anything that’s on the menu. From burger to breakfast, coffee to hard liquors. Decaf flows on tap. The service goes fast and never stops. It’s a dim cacophony. Our movie shines in material hyperreality. Clinking door brushes through the floor as knives do trough pancakes soaked in maple syrup. It flows out of the jar, drowning XL blueberries that taste like purple sugar and baking soda. It sticks to the table, to our hands and our minds. And this vegan cheese is so damn sticky! If the whole Diner would burn down, the only thing that would be left would probably be the vegan cheese. That’s how it is with things that grab your attention for no specific reason. They stick and remain after fires. An obvious truth, long overlooked yet always there, comes to light through what appears to be a tragic accident. Stickiness migrates —from cheese to thought, from syrup to language. Long after the taste is gone, the motion remains. Did you ever wonder how many times flight attendants say “milk or sugar” in their career? If they would count: would they be scared? Feel sticky? It’s something they have to say nevertheless, mechanically. They say it so much they feel detached. It probably shows up in their sleep some time to time. To a simple question the answer is “yes” or “no”. Then, the cup is given, either with or without the trims. It’s not about the milky or the sugary. Not even about the beverage. Their meaning is disintegrated into the gesture; their substance and taste dissolve inside the warmth of the cup they once serve. It’s about the stickiness of the repetition, about the experience of the four syllables.

Four syllables as four sides. I often play this game that consists of opening my lollipops without damaging the wrapping. It’s not an easy task. They often tear along the way. Once laid out flat, the Chupa Chups papers reveal a beautifully engineered pattern, a square neatly designed to wrap and display something round. It’s like getting dressed and giving a hug to roundness, slipping on a perfectly fitted sweater. You stretch the four sides, the four angles of your quadrilateral, and this gesture gives a surficial shape to the depth of your intention. It’s beautiful! And did you know that in America, the Chupa Chups sticks are still made of plastic? In 2025. How pleasant! No paper residue left on your tongue if you suck it for too long. No need for breaks, you may go all-in with your lollipop, fully commit to it. The experience is sleek, flawless even. It tastes like former times, like the real lollipop you used to know as a child. Plastic and stick; sticky or plasticky. The non-ecological experience of when environment wasn’t yet such a “thing”. Yes, we’re aiming to hit the wall with this. In America, bottle lids are still detachable. Your lid stays in your hand! That sensation was for us forgotten many years ago. So, you better watch out not to lose it. Do not lose yourself either. Because if you do, you will have to suck the drink all at once. It depends on the beverage of course. This lid is merely a string of thoughts that keeps you connected to your bigger picture. Do not drink your own substance all at once. It will not do well with your future communication abilities. If you suddenly find your self-container empty, you may have to use imagination soon! Imagination is submitted to lack of freedom, sufficiency and reality. So, keep it detached but attach it.

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