WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Patrick Wright might be one of the few people who describe Metro as “beautiful.” During four years of the transit system’s most trying times, Wright took photos of those bearing the brunt of delays and closures—the riders.
“It’s not your conventional beauty,” Wright said. 45 of his photos were just published in a small magazine called a zine. It’s titled SIDETRACKED.
“I hope that when people look at the photos and the zine they see the Metro in a different light,” said Wright.
Wright collaborated with Katie Dance, an independent photography publisher in Washington D.C. Dance first saw the photos on Instagram and knew they’d be a success. The first edition of SIDETRACKED has already sold out. You can pre-order a new edition now on the Slow Dance Press website for $18.
“I’ve seen a lot of work on the D.C. Metro but I hadn’t seen these quiet, solitary moments that were so relatable,” Dance said.
The photos range from ethereal - an airy scene of a rider on an empty station platform - to entertaining - a person in a hot pink gorilla suit sitting on a station bench. Wright said he would ask his subjects to return to the mood they were in before he approached them.
“We bury our heads in our phones and headphones,” said Wright. “But if you look up you realize there’s a lot of beauty and a lot of interesting people.”
