Strangely, it is not airports themselves that provoke in us the feeling that we are being hurtled through time and space. Perhaps that's because all airports look similar – so one is at once always there and away. Perhaps it is the nervous tension, the hustle and bustle of the place that alters our perception and prevents us from recognising the exact situation in which we find ourselves. In an airport one is a neutral entity with a destination but no orientation, no Pole – a transport assignment defined by ticket number, flight timing and baggage tag.