Photographer Peter Sackett: Hotel Oz

Not six blocks away the ocean gleamed and lapped at the sand. Not two blocks away, normal people, she knew, were having lunch together, eating spinach salads with bacon and citrus vinaigrette. It calmed her.

A pochi isolati l’oceano scintillava e lambiva la sabbia. Ancora più vicino la gente normale stava pranzando insieme, mangiavano insalate con pancetta affumicata e agrumi. Lei lo sapeva, e ciò la tranquillizzava.

He’d left a pack of Chiclets in the drawer but taken all the cheap bar soap he could find. It wasn’t even his room.

Aveva lasciato un pacchetto di gomma da masticare nel cassetto ma aveva preso tutte le saponette che riusciva a trovare. La stanza non era nemmeno la sua.

She resolved that as long as the sirens and street noise continued, she’d subsist on apples, bagels and sliced turkey.

Decise che fintanto continuavano le sirene e il brusio del traffico si sarebbe nutrita solo di mele, panini e tacchino affettato.

The air conditioning was blissful, and just cold enough to mask the smell of cigarette smoke in the upholstery.

L’aria condizionata era deliziosa, fredda giusto quanto bastava per mascherare il puzzo delle sigarette nella tappezzeria.

Everything felt natural, in the new context. Even the sunlight.

Nel nuovo contesto tutto le sembrava naturale. Persino la luce del sole.

Arrival was exciting. She was greeted with the radiant weather she’d hoped for, was treated politely and helped by every service person at the airport and train station, and had a room across the street from one of her favourite landmarks. But the jet lag won. An instant after checking in, a gloom settled over her. Her mood soured, and she knew the only thing to combat it was to surrender to unconsciousness. “I’ll go for a walk tonight,” she resolved.

Arrivare era emozionante. Fu accolta dal bel tempo che sperava di trovare, da persone gentili che l’aiutarono all’aeroporto e alla stazione ferroviaria. La sua stanza si affacciava su uno dei suoi monumenti preferiti. Ma alla fine vinse il fuso orario. Poco dopo il check-in le si oscurò l’umore. Si sentiva amareggiata, e sapeva che l’unica cosa da fare era arrendersi alla stanchezza. “Stanotte uscirò a fare una passeggiata,” dichiarò a se stessa.

Concerns about contamination had eased to the point where visitors felt relatively safe on the beaches and pathways.

They were relieved the arrangement felt so natural; a tiny bit awkward at first, maybe, but the self-consciousness evaporated because the photographer was so focused and gave simple directions. They’d been in the room for a week, so the space felt like their own. And having Ben with her made it more interesting.

Erano sollevati che tutto veniva così naturale. Forse un pochettino nervosi all’inizio, ma l’imbarazzo si dissolse presto: il fotografo era molto concentrato e dava istruzioni semplici da seguire. Erano nella stanza da una settimana, quindi lo spazio sembrava appartenergli. A la presenza di Ben rendeva tutto più interessante.

Peter Sackett is a photographer and visual artist based in Melbourne, Australia. In addition to his work on film, he specialises in long-distance digital portraiture.

He is contactable through his website at petersackett.com and Instagram at @peter.sackett