That Was The Week That Was - 5th January 2025

There are certain things in this world which keep me sane; things that I look too which reinforce my idea people are inherently good and the world – despite what you may read – is actually a beautiful place. Often these things are momentary and fleeting, yet when you stop and notice them they make your day just that bit better.

Take the other day when I ordered a new pair of my favourite slippers from Bowhil and Elliot – a company which has been in existence since 1874 and still based in Norwich in the UK where their shoes and slippers are still made. I've had a pair of their leather mules for many years now, still very much in service and something I always pack on my travels as they serve as a comforting reminder of home. So when they announced their sale I snapped up a pair of the olive green leather mules at a much reduced price. Later that day I got an email from one of the staff there to tell me she had personally prepared the slippers for despatch and would be sending out later that day. This wasn't your usual automated shipping notice but a personally written note – and that made me smile.

Alongside noticing moments like these I find it very useful for my mental health to filter out noise as much as I can. Last year I finally completely deleted my Twitter account. It had become such a place of toxicity, run by a narcissistic-sociopath-man-child I couldn't take it anymore. I felt a weight lift from shoulders when I confirmed deletion of that constant stream of negativity and outrage. I don't miss it all and my life has become quieter, simpler. In its place I only add quality things – like In Our Time from the BBC. This long-running Radio 4 show hosted by Melvyn Bragg is a huge resource for learning about the arts, science, economics, politics, culture and much more besides. Lately I've gotten into the habit (or maybe ritual?) of listening to an episode whilst I'm having lunch at home. This week was all about the fascinating single cell organism Slime Moulds, which continues to occupy scientists and researchers with its almost alien-like behaviour.

Another beacon in the dark is the incredible London Review of Books which I've just become a subscriber of thanks to a wonderful Christmas present. Long form articles about a huge variety or subjects with the whole archive since 1979 all available online to subscribers.

Over the week I've been continuing to explore works using ComfyUI. Now I'm using the new Desktop app which is great. One of the things I love about Comfy is how you can drop a Comfy made image onto it and it brings up the network which created it. The network and settings are all stored in the image itself. It's so beautiful in its simplicity it makes me wish other such creative output files worked in a similar way.

For my part, I like to use Comfy as a collaborator with works I've made myself which I can then augment. These cityscapes I've been creating are based on noise based structures created in Houdini. Without the my source material it would be impossible to create these images, prompted or otherwise. Using this technique I can have greater artistic control over the work, yet still be surprised (and delighted) by the outputs.

I had to book various travel plans for the coming weeks including attending the Berlin premiere of Eno, alongside Gary Hustwit and hosted by Marc Thiele followed by a trip to New York for a new film related project. Hoping this Polar vortex won't interrupt my plans too much.