UNIV ERSE: MDF INTERSECTIONS

MDF.053: Painting, Sobriety, Bunny Farts, Berlin, Home Studio, Gender, Meditation, Spiritual Armour

Nika Fontaine (no pronouns) - Villalonga call - 2022 @nikafontaine

I first met Nika in a Thursday queer AA meeting in Berlin (since then our individual lives have gone through it supported by our friendship). Nika has a language brain, the gift of gab, and humour (I picked up on the by then faint quebecois accent right away).

Pre-covid Berlin was such a powerful time of recovery for me (only to be shown what was on its way with the years to come).

I laughed so hard with Nika I was concerned I had hurt myself several times (especially while sharing studio space which was also in Nika’s home). We have wandered through gender, blabbed about politics, shared recoveries, always cooked (and made lots of work).

Thank you!

Brody

Marina Reza (she/her) - Berlin - 2022 @reza.marina / www.marinareza.com

Marina first came to visit Berlin pre Corona with the intent to move over from NYC (a time in which now feels like a dream). We landed on the same page easily and she has become a big part of many of my recovery constellations (we live a stones throw apart and rarely accidentally run into each other on the street).

Marina is a writer and a poet and a singer of songs with an acoustic guitar (we finally went to a show together recently down the road of her crush Angel Olsen).

Thank you!

Hank (they/them) Pt 2 - Berlin - 2022 @butchcut030 / @qequal_official

Hank and I agreed that we had so much more to quatsch about that a second episode was a must (and we probably still forgot about plenty!). Being welcomed into Hanks queer / sober / safe barber shop in Kreuzberg for a head shaving ritual was magical (this offering makes for an interesting rhythm with some shorter gaps).

Thank you!

Hank (they/them) Pt 1 - Berlin - 2022 @butchcut030 / @qequal_official

Hank and I were in a few closer orbits through mutual friends for some years now without officially connecting (always having heard the nicest sentiments all made sense when we eventually met in the rooms).

In particular I was seeing how Hank empowers other queer trans folks around me through the ritual of haircuts (this self care strategy had always been elusive until starting to engage some years ago).

We sat in my kitchen the other day for this episode and have decided we only got half way there (we are planning to get closer to the bigger picture of Hank and the impact he has in Berlin this week).

Thank you!

Tony Just (he/him) - Berlin - 2022 @just.tony

I first saw Tony in a meeting as we were in a similar weekly rhythm (he was new to recovery and I was new to Berlin). Some years later the queer AA meetings started up which attracted all of us creative misfits (being in a closer orbit and hanging out for dinner afterwards).

I eventually had the courage to send Tony a friend request to be able to peek into his art world (this was still in the time of Facebook). My insecurities of being seen by the folks that I look up to are slowly lessening (because of the life giving practices we share that temper my fears).

Thank you!

Bojan (he/him) - Berlin - 2022 @ronny.bitter

We first met through tattooing while I was at AKA and some years later are living a few blocks away from each other (tattooers becoming actual friends is often nearly impossible to line up).

The folks around me tattooing often give back sage advice that finally clicks (I’m always impressed with people who don’t fear technology). I swing by the studio around the corner where Bojan tattoos walking Joni (the walls are absolutely covered in ephemera and I feel like a tattooer all of a sudden). He has amassed a trove of designs that are his signature folky design aesthetic (the trajectory of output is inane and seemingly never ending).

Thank you!

Joy Markus (they/them) - Berlin - 2022 @thisisjoyjessica

I first met Joy when living so very far apart and both tattooing (they reached out to me about a guest spot and we had a phone call and a tea). The world shut down soon after and our connection turned into a long distance mentorship dynamic (as they have been mentoring others and holding space in Johannesburg for BIPOC fems and queers @ustheythemstudio).

Somehow I missed that we both were raised very rural and were influenced by punk, skateboarding, and hard drugs. (Big city kids in the making for sure). Joy’s patterns resonated with me right away (they also choose to work by hand with the body and are very much trauma informed).

I sincerely appreciate dear friends making time to engage in this project together (somehow this container deepens my sense of our connections).

Thank you!

Ty Wardwell (they/them) - Berlin - 2022 @tinyasspaintings

To this day I still remember how Ty claimed space for themselves easily that I wasn’t yet stepping into (even in Berlin queer meetings). Some months later we rode clear across town in the summer swelter to the lake for a swim (of which is their happy place as is FKK and at the time ice cream). I was starting to ask dear friends to shift from using no pronouns to gender neutral pronouns for me (Ty calmly said “yeah absolutely, if tomorrow you want them to be blue and the next day green, just let me know!”). This really blew my mind and was a huge step towards cultivating inner wellness (these demonstrations of compersion hold me safely in Berlin with my chosen family).

Make sure to take a dip into their creative practices on film as writer and performer under @cutenonfilms with art partner @ethfol

Thank you!

Franz Kratochwil (he/him) - Berlin - 2022 @franz_kratochwil

My lovely friend Franz came on the show today as the rain let loose in Berlin (we were both wearing our Mother Nature hoodies by no surprise).

Acupuncture had been something that I avoided out of fear until my hand gave out from tattooing 4 years ago (Franz came highly recommended by a fellow and has been treating me ever since).

When Franz buzzed up today Joni was preparing to smother Andrew at the door and ran into the hallway (giving him a confused welcome but calming down as we settled in). Joni barked a few times through the episode to warn us that there were people coming up the stairs (it was the first time she was home during a recording of the show I believe).

Thank you!

Sabina van der Linden (she/her) - Berlin - 2022 @bohemienine

I landed in Berlin in 2013 and Sabina was someone who stood out in recovery (we co-chaired the Thursday NA meeting which was my first real group commitment). Over the years we have been in orbit in a number of fellowships (we have attempted creating a few hybrid fellowships along the way).

Her story always makes me wonder how she is still with us today arriving in 1979 Berlin (somehow I have more of the bigger picture now after all these years).

Celebrating the amazing humans around me warms my heart (when I’m showing up for myself their wisdom is with me in everyday synchronicities).

Thank you!