Welcome to summer. It’s a rare warm day here in Rotterdam. This is Elliott. I'm
here at the studio early, writing this newsletter to you. The fan is going full
blast and a tune is playing. For
a quick recap... last season on the XP
Newsletter, Emma reflected on the 4
Openings and how things are expanding (like the
universe) and that means we need to trust ourselves and each other
even more.
The other day we were sitting by the Rotte (the river of Rotterdam) and Ben
commented on how the
green algae that had covered
the river the day before had disappeared over night. As the summer
days blur together, it feels like we are connecting with the river
more than ever. Most
days we take lunches on the dock near the
river. Sometimes we lie around in the sun near the water. It has become a
consistent part of our daily xp-istance. To give you a sense of our experience,
here it is represented in clock form...
Yesterday, during our studio swim, Léa let us borrow
her
brat-portal. As I disappeared through the
portal, I thought, I might never be the same once I go through
this (in a dramatic tone). When I emerged, everything felt a little
different. Were the
greens just a little
greener? It was hard to tell. Wait... have we all aged? As we sat on
the dijk near the river, we talked about getting older. What if we don't
accomplish our goals? What if we are still dealing with the same setbacks?
Would we be okay with that reality, or would we want to go back through the
portal? How do you trust in a process when you don't know
the outcome? These questions felt big and serious and I asked if anyone wanted
to take another swim.
...speaking of portals let's take a portal through various moments of
activity over the last month...

...... XP hosts a
simultaneous football and tennis watching party. Jack is a fan of
Jack. Domitille and
Quentin join us. It’s nice to see them (and a little surreal after we watched a
livestream of them coding their website during
construction week).
...... Ben hosts a gaming night (#dorkday) where we play Death
Stranding. Colin wonders why
every character is introduced with the voice actor’s name. What
beautiful rocks and moss they have in this world. It brings us back
to our Vlieland holiday (sans-truffles). There must be some
climbing here, right?
Colin finds several ladders through the mountains. Is this a
shortcut? Is this a metaphor? Kirsten
says the baby looks a little like her when she was a baby. The main
character looks at the baby and it smiles back at him. Does our inner-child
smile back like this baby?
...We take more lunches outside on the dock (beach). One day, a sailing boat
arrives and docks. Two weeks pass, and it doesn't set sail again. One
afternoon, two cops come to inspect and board the boat. For a moment, they look
like they could be lovers and might set sail.
...... After several weeks of
garden updates from Elliott, Gijs.garden returns
from his summer holiday. Gijs
begins his daily post-holiday-post-lunch-vibe-shift reading hour
near the Rotte.
..... We
cycle to the windmill to
swim. We observe a swimmer and her dog. The swimmer swims up the
river, and the dog runs along the riverbank to meet her. Is this the perfect
companion/partner?
....... A painting
atelier forms in the front window. Emma brings in dozens of
canvases, and like true artists, we rebel against our medium. The only things
that get painted are the easels and the hangboard.
...... Emma’s
birthday! Happy birthday,
Captain
Emma. XP gifts Emma a miniature boat . Did
you hear that we are now a miniature boat rental company? Watch out, neighbors.
We contemplate creating a raft from the hundreds of cans our neighbors have
accumulated in the backyard. When will they take it away and let e-island rest
in peace?
...
Dewi brings a bubble wand to Emma’s