🪄 Hello from XP in 2023!

↑  fig.1 – Janus, god of doors, inspirer of newsletters

New year, New moon, New s letter time 🌚 By the time it was time for the December issue we were already scattered out over planet Earth and in discovery/recovery mode, and we forgot about XP and newsletters for a bit, and it was fine. Now we are back, all of us, rested, repaired, restarted, reactivated, refreshed, renewed, reinvigorated, rejuvenated, restored, revitalised, replenished, ready for all the real life stuff. It’s a bit late for new years wishes and resolutions now, but it’s still January. So let’s just talk about January instead!!!

(hey it's Emma btw)

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Fun Fact: January is called January because it was the month the Romans would bring offerings to Janus, god of doors and transitions, endings and beginnings. Janus has two faces, one looking to the past behind him, and the other looking towards the future. (fig.1) (Even funner: from Ianus derived ianua ("door"), hence the English word "janitor"!)

Janus also makes for a potent meme format. This inspired me to capture XP's new year energy in a simple image and some text. And, as a great writer once said, what better way to 'propose a path without offering a definite destination of salvation', than memes?¹ Here’s some ancient past+future wisdom for ya from your favourite two-faced XP janitors:

↑ fig. 2 – JACKUS

↑ fig. 3 – EMMUS

↑ fig. 4 – BENNUS

↑ fig. 5 – GIJSUS

↑ fig. 6 – KIRSTEUS ²

Hope you enjoyed that as much as I did☺︎

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Another way to honour door-god Janus this year will be by opening our doors open a little wider (not literally, with these gas bills) for y’all. I personally am excited to be hosting more cute little events at the studio for whoever wants a little extra practice/inspo/input/support/fun/friends, but also inviting others to put something on in our cosy little space. So let's turn those words into ACTIONS right NOW:

🚪 UPCOMING EVENTS @ XP

27 JAN 15:00 
THEMEWORK: Tax + Relax Tax Return Retreat 🧘🏼📉🍃

Do you still need to file your taxes for January? Are you totally stressed out about it? Do you need some well-deserved wellness time, but also to do your taxes? Then this is the retreat for you!!! 
Come by XP this Friday the 27th with your laptop, receipts and favourite lounge-wear. 
You will return from this 2-hour retreat reborn, relaxed ánd with your taxes all done. 

This event is low key & 100% free, including relaxing teas, nourishing snacks, revitalising face-masks, calming scents, healing tunes and restoring stretch instructions. Also great for non-Dutchies who need BTW help:) Hope to see you! For questions, e-mail Emma:)

This is the first pilot in a series of themed working sessions, hosted by Emma, called ThemeWork. I'll explain it next month

2 FEB 14:00
📊 Two-quarterly moneyfestation strategy & growth innovation finance & business board meeting

This is an informal event, but doors are open! jJust 3 hours we blocked on Feb 2nd to talk about money, making money, being entrepreneurial, having a business mindset, etc. Because yes, we have our great non-commercial space and our non-commercial work but the reality is that we also need to pay its rent:( If you want to join our businessy workshop-sesh about making a little more money without sacrificing our freedom/art/souls, you are very welcome to join!!! simply reply to this e-mail:) 

5 FEB 14:00 
SUNDAY SITES @ EXTRA PRACTICE 

https://sundaysites.cafe/

On February 5th, XP will transform into Sunday Sites Cafe from 2 to 5pm.

Sunday Sites (Tiana Dueck), HTML Energy (Elliott Cost), and Extra Practice will be hosting this upcoming live session together for an evening/afternoon of hanging out over HTML.
Like any cafe, we’ll have coffee and snacks to share with you as well.

The prompt for our live session is: Make a site inspired by a practice.

Please RSVP if you intend to join us: 

🪟 MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS

On February 12 Ben is co-organising a book presentation of Mindy Seu's Cyberfeminism Index at Varia in Rotterdam, including a performative reading by Mindy. Check out the event here.

Emma found out last week that she is now a published co-author of an academic³ paper:  Using participatory video for co-production and collaborative research with refugees: critical reflections from the Digital Place-makers program. The paper talks about the video-workshops she developed during the Translocal Lives Place-makers project last year with two researchers from EUR and a group of newcomers.

On Jan 30, Gijs will join a think tank on how technologies mediate the human-nature relation. Part of ongoing gijs.garden project.

On Jan 31, Gijs is giving another positioning workshop at the MA Critical Inquiry Lab. Read last year’s report here.

Thanks for reading! 'See' you next month, or maybe.. IRL some time?

xpxp Ben, Gijs, Jack, Kirsten, Emma

¹ “How to propose a path without offering a definite destination of salvation? How to express both my hopes and suspicions? Let me learn from memes” –– Gijs de Boer, Between Fox Traps and Hero Bait

² Quotes from Byung-Chul Han(us)

³ As you could probably already tell by my use of footnotes