Finding Stillness home working video competition: the winners!

There’s lots being written at the moment about how to avoid ennui at home, especially in connection with remote working; the suggestions being made mostly revolve around increasing stimulation. We thought we’d like to also suggest the opposite: the embracing of stillness, the acceptance of moments when there’s nothing happening, as a way of boosting productivity and creativity.

The Finding Stillness home-working video competition was an invitation to people to send us their recordings of stillness: well-considered videos that “depict almost nothing but contain almost everything”. Prizes of Punkt. products were on offer for our favourites.

The competition was a big success, with 70 entries from 22 different countries – Wales to Vietnam, Panama to Finland.

And here are the winning videos! Wait until you’re in the right mood, turn the sound up loud and take a look…

Winners

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Tokyo, Japan

Sumire Sakuma

Does the view from my window stay the same or is it different from yesterday?
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Venice CA, USA

Glenn Webb

It’s detrimental to our development of individualism to live life without boredom.
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Tokyo, Japan

Ry Van Veluwen

This is the view from my apartment, overlooking Shibuya station and with a hint of the famous Shibuya Scramble crossing in the distance.

Runners up

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Waterloo, Canada

Matt Borland

The time I am spending at home during the pandemic is bittersweet.
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St Fagans, Wales

Nick Russill

An early alarm abruptly wakes me, because I have a meeting.
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Milan, Italy

Stefano Mirti

From my bedroom, I can see a railway disappearing into green grass, behind a wall.

Punkt. lockdown friends

History from my window with Punkt.

History from my window

Jonathan Margolis, Financial Times journalist

Charles Dickens used to stay in the building and may have started Nicholas Nickleby right where I’m sitting.
Beautiful imperfections with Punkt.

Beautiful imperfections

Alessandro Albert, portrait photographer

At certain times of day the sunlight shines on the worn and paint peeled walls revealing their imperfections.
Urban soil

Urban soil

John Tree, industrial designer

I planted a few things but maintain it by selectively removing stuff I don't like.
Working from the garden shed

Working from the garden shed

Sam Walton, creative director

I returned to work from my garden shed for lockdown; it was the place I started Hole & Corner in 2013.
Birds and things

Birds and things

Marcia Caines, head of communications at Punkt.

I like to look out. Just looking up and out beyond the screen broadens my vision and soothes my eyes.
The tree of life

The tree of life

Philip Syse, tech support at Punkt.

Before lockdown I barely noticed the huge tree outside my window. I now drink coffee and watch the life that rotates within and around it during work breaks.