November 2020
Lockdown month in Berlin. Kicked off with the latter half of a very spooky roadtrip, from which a few favourite photos emerged. Everything cultural and hospitable being closed meant a lot of time spent reading; 1:1 household dinners in the post-4pm darkness; marching through my build-up of podcasts; learning to code by fairylight; a Yale art history course shared with a friend; walks through crunching leaves on the pavement or a mist of rain on the old airfield. I was very glad to have visited IKEA and for the large festive candle sent over by my mum, as my room was a cosy haven this month. Admittedly rather too cosy as I wrecked my sleeping pattern during the deathly slow election, and repeatedly re-familiarized myself with that blunt and grey all-nighter nausea, coupled with the sly smugness of being up in crisp autumn first light. I went for numb handed business lunches by the canal and bundled up evening walks round the neighbourhood fuelled by Glühwein. I love this city and the headspace it has afforded me; I hope I can take it back to the UK with me next month.
top film: the wonderful doc The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography, on the brilliantly unpretentious large format Polaroid photographer
top book: Afropean by Johnny Pitts, fab piece of travel writing exploring Europe’s Black history and communities which makes me only want to read travel writing from henceforth
top art: none in person possible in lockdown month, but starting a new Instagram account purely for sharing + looking at 35mm photography has led to poring over loads of brilliant European analogue photographers