Window Swap

“Share your view with the rest of the world”

During the pandemic, we had to put aside the idea of travelling. More or less all of us were forced to stay at home, observing the world through a real window—or sometimes through a virtual one, considering all the social networks we have today.

In Singapore, a platform called WindowSwap was created where people can share the view from their own window with the rest of the world. I think it is a brilliant idea, and also a very romantic one. With WindowSwap, it is possible to travel without ever leaving home.

This beautiful project is also helping to raise awareness about the devastating Argentine wildfires. Anyone can support the initiative with a small contribution through their page.

Personally, I have always been fascinated by windows. I love looking at views framed by them, almost like paintings.

I remember when I was a child waiting for the sunrise from my grandmother’s window. I remember admiring the sea from my mother’s house in the city. I remember looking outside the window of the office where I felt stuck, working as an assistant in a call centre, contemplating the landscape while sitting at my desk.

I still remember the window of the first place where I lived alone. And the small room on the roof where I first lived in London.

For me, windows have always had a symbolic meaning. They represent possibility. I often find myself imagining what the next view will be.

And I cannot help but think about the film Facing Windows by Ferzan Özpetek, where he shares a powerful message: “We should always work to live in a better world, not just dream about it.”

I truly believe that we are the creators of our own lives.

The view in the photo is one of the many I had the pleasure of enjoying during lockdown, and I realise how privileged I have been to experience such moments.

I don’t know what my next view will be. I can only imagine it.

But whatever it is, I will try to enjoy it deeply—just as I try to enjoy every view that life places in front of me.