My non arrival

Winner Audionomia's best mini-headphone & Hörspielsommer Kurzhörspielwettbewerbs.

Set in one of my favourite non-places, the arrivals at a railway platform, and inspired by Wisława Szymborska's poem "Dworzec" (The Railroad Station), My non arrival is an emotional journey that explores the intricacies of human connection and the bittersweet dance of hope and detachment.

In My non arrival the estrangement between the protagonist and the voice of the announcer becomes an evocative thread that weaves through the narrative.

As listeners immerse in the soundscape of a bustling train station, a poignant sense of distance unfolds, born from the announcer addressing the protagonist directly. Each announcement becomes a reminder of her yearning for connection, the anticipation of her beloved's arrival, and the profound vulnerability that accompanies unmet expectations.

As the train approaches, the estrangement deepens, as the protagonist stands on the precipice of hope and despair.

The announcer's instructions on how to approach the carriage, the gentle warning to ignore the embraces of strangers, and the delicate reminder to carefully search for her love within the crowd emphasise the weight of her solitude.

The departure of the train, coupled with the announcer's matter-of-fact declarations, reverberates with the ache of unfulfilled longing.

The protagonist finds herself at the crossroads of acceptance and heartache, where the pain of non-arrival meets the poetry of possibilities.

With this audio piece, I hope to draw the listener into an emotional journey that explores the intricacies of human connection and the bittersweet dance of hope and detachment.

The estrangement produced by the voice of the announcer, speaking directly to the protagonist, reflects the universal experience of seeking intimacy amidst a world that may, at times, feel distant and elusive.

What is Art, in all the wrong places?

Characters who can't always be trusted. Because they often don't see the difference between sound and noise, between countryside and abandoned building, between fiction and reality.
I explore sound, speak languages and talk to strangers. This is my work.
AIR Member. www.cristinamarras.com

I’m sorry, sorry!
Attention passengers! The 6:45 train from Krakow due to arrive on platform 1 will be now arriving on platform 3. Please make your way to platform 3 if you are expecting someone arriving from Krakow.
Train approaching now on platform 3, please stay behind the yellow line.
Remember to take all your belongings with you when disembarking.
We won’t be held responsible for lost or forgotten objects like umbrellas, briefcases, glasses, love poems, mobile phones. You are responsible for the objects that belong to you.
Attention please, if you are here to meet someone arriving from Krakow on the 6:45 train, that person is about to arrive. Wait until the train has stopped completely before approaching the carriage. I repeat, wait until the train has stopped completely before approaching the carriage.
If you are here to welcome someone coming to visit you from Krakow, arriving with the 6:45 train, you can now start scanning the faces of disembarking passengers with the hopeful expression of someone waiting to see their lover. I repeat, you can now start scanning passengers in search for your lover.
Attention please, if you are still to locate the person coming to visit you from Krakow, keep in mind that the person you are here to meet might have changed since you last saw them.
I repeat, scan all faces carefully to locate the person you are here to meet.
Please ignore strangers who meet running into each other’s arms and kiss passionately upon reuniting, those are not your embraces and are not your lips, I repeat, ignore strangers kissing upon reuniting on Platform 3.
Attention please, if you are still unable to locate the person you were looking for, consider the fact that the person might have not come after all.
I repeat, as sad and heart-breaking this might sound, consider the fact that they might have not come after all.
The 6:45 train from Krakow will now depart from platform 3.
Please stay behind the yellow line. Train departing. Stay behind the yellow line.
Why are you still here? They haven’t come. Please move elsewhere.
Go somewhere else.
Go somewhere else.
Somewhere else.