Slow television – Pay Attention & Relax

A friend recently told me about the unexpectedly successful broadcast on Norwegian TV station NRK of over 7 hours of live footage from the front of a train travelling from Bergen to Oslo. I find it reassuring that so many people tuned in for sustained periods despite the lack of conventional narrative or characters. It’s been followed up by an epic 5 day long broadcast showing the journey of a cruiser travelling along the Norwegian coast, and an 8 hr broadcast of a log fire, amongst others.

As it becomes increasingly challenging to edit the tidal wave of information constantly at our fingertips, focussing in on a long-form, immersive event like this encourages us to contemplate and digest rather than continually consume more information. However, it’s worth remembering that you don’t need a stunning and tranquil natural location to create mental space. If we’re paying attention, there are occurrences happening around us daily that can encourage us to create the space to let our minds breathe. The video below is a recent example of just such an occurrence that I was luckily paying attention enough to not only observe, but to film as well.

Get into a similar headspace at our ever-expanding Withdrawing Room.

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