Episode Synopsis "Early Turns"
Sarah Butler on this story: "Driving a Tube train is a solitary occupation, much like writing; perhaps this similarity (as well as the opportunity to ride in the front of a train!) explains why I was drawn to thinking about how I could work with Train Operators as part of the project. I have based a lot of my residency around the idea of conversation: I decided to look for train operators who were prepared to spend a couple of hours with me in their cab, and allow me to use our conversation as the basis of a new short story. "Train Operators Francesca Alaimo and Jerry Semple agreed to participate. I wrote Early turn after meeting Francesca. The story takes a Train Operator as its main character, and tries to capture the unique outlook on life available to a driver. It also weaves in ideas from conversations about Francesca’s own work as a visual artist, and indeed, the story behind her name." Sarah Butler writes novels and short stories, here she collaborates with London Underground staff for an Art on the Underground project