Back in the 30s and 40s, the great jazz big bands – Basie, Ellington, Miller, Dorsey, Goodman – crisscrossed the USA by train between performances.
Now artist Doug Aitken has taken the concept of the travelling band, but turned the transport into the venue.
He has assembled a crew of musicians, film makers and artists and created Station To Station, a nomadic arts and music festival that is making its way from San Francisco to New York.
In many countries, my home of Australia included, train travel is waning. There are kilometres of under-utilised tracks. There are also many regional towns and cities crying out for cultural events.
Station To Station is a concept that will work across continents and across national boundaries.
