Two images left a lasting impression on me in Madrid.

They weren’t the tourist sites of Plaza Mayor or Puerta del Sol.

Instead, they were a sculpture and a living statue.

The sculpture was inside Atocha station. It was a collection of an umbrella, hat, cloak, suitcase and bag.

The plaque nearby named the artist “Eduardo Urculo” (slightly obscured by bird droppings but there you go) and the year “1991”.

A quick Google search told me he was a Spanish pop artist known for using luggage and hats in his work.

What also struck me was the simple title: “El viajero”. A quick Google Translate search told me this meant “the traveller”.

In a way this collection of items was universal. It was about everyone who passes through the station although most people walked right past it without looking at it.

It wasn’t just “the traveller”, it was more about every traveller. We are all passengers – or perhaps voyagers – on a journey through life.

Eduardo died in 2003, a year before the Atocha station bombings. His work has a lot to say about the world today.

The living statue was in the gardens near the Prado museum.

An illusion, yes, but an interesting perspective on life.

Seeing the two together made me realise just how faceless most train passengers are. We’re just a blur to others.

I’m sure at times I’ve just been a man in a suit or a collection of bags. Just “the traveller”.

It’s the people inside the suit and the people wearing the hat or carrying the umbrella that we don’t see.

I was tempted to peer inside the living statue to see who was inside. I did imagine who might have been the traveller whose belongings are now left behind.

And I did look at all the people passing through and made a conscious effort to see them as “fellow travellers”.

Gracias Eduardo.