Dear friends of COVEN,
BURLUNGIS - the gallery exhibition - is officially over. It was a joy and delight for our medieval landscape to be hosted at Galerie im Turm. We held workshops galore, including with delightful edna bonhomme, Luiza Prado, and Ileana Pascalau. Samantha Bohatsch co-wrote a play with us, which we shared on Saturday night at The Final Joust. Amidst the artworks of Irene Fernández Arcas and Yoav Admoni, we danced and were gussied up with the sounds and garms of Hang Linton + Laura Lulika.
Fjóla Gautadóttir aka lemonboy also played a medieval DJ set. You can enjoy her retelling of Egil's saga (one of the famed 8th century icelandic sagas ) on our magazine, here. Below's an excerpt.
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However, we are having too much fun with BURLUNGIS to let it go completely. It will continue, notably online. This brings me to an important point:
DO YOU WANT TO PUBLISH YOUR WRITING ON OUR MAGAZINE AND EARN 50 EUROS (brutto) IN EXCHANGE?
We are happy to say that this is now possible. For the first time in COVEN's 7-year lifetime, thanks to the Basisförderung für Projektinitiativen from the Berlin Senat, we are able (among other things) to pay writers for their contributions.
Feels. So. Good.
You can send a pitch and a writing sample to us before on on the 15th of each month and we will let you know if we want it. Guidelines are accessible via our submissions page.
So far we've published writing by Crab, M. Maria Walhout, Clay AD, Anakin Xersonsky, Fjola above, and we have pieces by Jacintha Murphy (think holy medieval brothels), Shelly Etkin (think the oracle is the orifice) and more. Can't wait to read your pitches next week! Deadline is Sunday 15th midnight.
Ok that's all the announcements for now. Without further ado, I am proud to present edition 2.3 of...
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Fictional Band of the Month: Olsen Reality
Neo-vaporwave concept artists Olsen Reality have announced a performance of samples from their forthcoming album, Mary+Kate&&Assley!, due out on June 22nd. Olsen Reality originated as a conspiracy theory on Reddit in 2018, which was then adopted by 32-year-old identical twins and accomplished musicians Lisa and Leslie Jeong. The post, since removed, alleged that former child actors Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are in fact one lab-developed life form which is able to visually trick humans into perceiving them as two people, used by the US government to exert mind control on millennials through TV and film in their youths. The Jeong twins, who had not previously seen any media starring the Olsen twins, watched their entire filmography and adapted their personas and film arcs into material for a musical duo. While the music is a respectable electronic offering on its own, Olsen Reality only perform via livestreams and in YouTube videos they directly upload, and have not been seen in public apart since 2018, adding to their mistique. Make sure to catch the stream on their website, www.ourlipsareseals.gov.biz.eu, at 3 AM on Tuesday morning. 3.97/5
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Cosmically speaking, mercury retrograde ended today, and the moon is full in Virgo. The amount of people with corona in Germany skyrocketed over the weekend. The equinox is approaching - soon there will be equal parts day and night. The summer is coming, which should slow the flu, but it is likely to reappear come fall. The value of oil dropped 30% and around the world there are millions of people quarantined in their own homes.
Right now I am in quarantine. I'm fortunate enough to be with my partner, so I think about people who are forced to be alone. I am fortunate enough to have friends and family drop food off at our house, so I think about people who might not have that. The army is maintaining quarantine in countries like Italy and China, and I am fortunate enough to not be quarantined in one of those places. I'm fortunate enough to not be showing symptoms of COVID 19 or know anyone who is.
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This quarantine isn't going exactly how I pictured it though. I didn't think it would be so scary. I didn't think I would feel so isolated and out of touch. I thought I would spend hours reading novels and meditating, or perhaps getting really deep into planning my next project or doing research. Instead I am hovering in a middle ground of instagram, sadness, and waking up at 11. It's like vacation except you didn't choose it.
I am sick of the mediocre shit. There isn't enough time to half-ass my life. I want to be either 100% enthusiastic about the projects I am a part of, or not do them. This extends to every. level. I only write necessary emails or ones I put my heart into. I am on social media only for as long as I am enjoying myself. I learn about astrology only to the extent that it does NOT block me from learning about myself. I do not take poorly paid jobs I do not care about - I either take well-paid jobs or jobs I love, and I work to make all my jobs be both. The time I free up is used for caring for my community, resting, being in relationship with people and the environment, learning, and getting inspired for what I contribute to the world.
Tarot card on this: Ace of Cups
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Dearest Galen,
I wonder where you are in the world right now and how you are dealing with this corona shit. I'm in quarantine at the moment, and I'm occupied with some ethical questions, so here we go. I've been thinking about our governments and how they restrict us in different ways- quarantines, lock-ups, restricted travel, and so on. I'm sure there are many state and political interests in each decision but at the same time I'm and healthy and not at-risk and think about the responsibility and solidarity that come with that with helping the thing not to spread to weaker immune systems. Anyhow my question is how to challenge systems under corona, and should we even challenge them? Or should we just shut up and listen? Or maybe we can be more radical then our governments and all self-quarantine?
Waiting and hoping for better days
Yours,
Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
This is a particularly exciting question because, as it turns out, I am also in quarantine. What do radical politics look like when you have little choice but to obey the government and remove yourself from public life? My urges to "rebel" feel totally flaccid, like "fuck the man! but can you bring me more beer please?" or, "today I'm going to take out my own trash!" but then I get scared my neighbor will rat me out to the government. It's important to remember a few forces that are not exactly complementary.
Force 1: You feel love for humankind, you make decisions out of social solidarity.
Force 2: You wonder whether you are technically making a decision out of social solidarity when breaking quarantine could land you in jail.
Force 3: You know that governments are making decisions for political and economic reasons more than humanitarian ones.
Force 4: You all of a sudden realize the mechanism of fear that underlies most government systems.
Force 5: You see how this fear mechanism also comes from community - you are afraid to take out the trash also from fear of social retribution (ostracization, gossip, degradation of your support network).
Force 6: You decide to nurture your support network; you don't take out the trash.
Force 1: You feel love for humankind, you make decisions out of social solidarity.
You get it.
A brief note to say that at least in New York City and in Tel Aviv, the quarantine rules do not make very much sense. Like if one person in a house is legally required to be in quarantine, then shouldn't everyone in the house also do it? Governments (don't know what the fuck to do) don't want the economy to tank even more than it already is so they don't want to quarantine entire households, even if that makes a lot of the quarantines totally pointless to begin with.
Ok so my advice is to combine the forces of logic (if there is someone in your house who is in quarantine then I think everyone should do it) and law (don't put yourself at risk of a fine or jail time), but do not act out of fear.
You know your body better than anyone. If being in quarantine is going to drastically affect your mental health, for example, figure out a way you can incorporate sunrise walks to a nearby park or something.
Finally, you don't need to be anti-government to be radical. Think about radical care aka how in troubled times we need to know how to take care of each other, ourselves, the planet. Fuck the government. Take care.
Love,
Galen
Got a question for Galen? Send it to us and we will include one of you anonymously in the next issue!
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Recommendations Corner: Quarantine Activities
- make sprouts, pickles, labneh, or other multi-day foods
- 1 hour daily work out: 20 mins running around/shaking/dancing, 20 mins Pamela Reif, 20 mins stretching
- cocktail hour
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