Coco Capitan: The Minute You Have a Minute

Famed for restoring historic properties, Belmond luxury hotel group is now collaborating with world-leading contemporary photographers to create bodies of work responding to their destinations, carefully pairing each artist with the personality of the chosen hotel. Coco Capitan photographed the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in spring 2023 and winter 2024.

Coco Capitan doesn’t like planes. Instead, she loves nothing more than classical forms of transportation – sailboats, yachts, vintage cars and, of course, the archetypal train journey. So when Capitan was invited to photograph the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express – with its original 1920s carriages and historic routes throughout Europe – she couldn’t say no. While on board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Capitan took the most instinctive approach, that of a curious traveller taking a trip with friends. Within the series, the relationship Capitan has built with the staff is interchangeable with the existing bond with her friends who join her on the journey. Images fluctuate from playful snapshots to thoughtful moments of contemplation.

Capitan’s photographs and the series title remind us that, amongst the glamour, the pilgrimage is just as important as the destination. Each minute should be treasured, no matter how silly or trivial it can feel, because this new reality is fleeting, and will soon belong to someone else.