“greenfriend” by Claire Mao

A plant is wrapped around the handle of a suitcase at the edge of a train station.

“greenfriend” by College of Engineering sophomore Claire Mao depicts a potted plant wrapped with a cable around the metal handle of a suitcase. The suitcase sits at the edge of train tracks at a train station that appears to be otherwise completely empty.

This photograph is apart of the “New Beginnings” photo competition. It caught my attention because of how basic the setting is. An abandoned train station, is a common motif across media genres, one that often symbolizes nostalgia. I envision the photographer, at the end of a semester, reflecting on the past few months as they prepare to leave Ann Arbor. The plant tied to the suitcase demonstrates the new beginning - it will have a new home and a new life.

View “greenfriend” and many more pieces of student artwork in the “New Beginnings” series in the Fireside Cafe area of Pierpont Commons, though October 23rd.