P A T C H W O R K patchwork\\zine co-created by: olivia wischmeyer & keza ruranga ________________
patchwork//zine an abstract zine to connect, share, heal and create across the distance during COVID-19
hello! we’re keza & olivia passionate about all forms of art, plants, tea, walks outside in springtime, dancing and this new platform for sharing! we created PATCHWORK in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic with the hopes of creating a space to share, connect and heal. PATCHWORK started as an instagram account used to document how people were using their creativity to process quarnatine, news on the pandemic and the loss that so many are facing during this time. we wanted to give this project a “zine” feel so we designed this zine highlighting some of the work we collected for the account. we hope you enjoy and thank you so much for your contribution to this project!
contents intro ................................................ pg 1 visual art ........................................... pg 5 poetry ............................................... pg 27 movement & music ..................................... pg 37 acknowledgements & featured artists .................. pg 43
statement of purpose: PATCHWORK is an abstract zine making space for collectivizing the individual isolated experience. amidst this time of deep sorrow, loss, and struggle we want to create a place for exploration, expression, realization, remembering, transforming, and becoming - free of judgement. a safe place for each being to explore healing within and around. a breadth, a space, for the variety, the multiplicity in moving through this time. a misalani of supported and seen creations by mind, body, heart, eye, ear, or touch. we hope that this platform can serve as a connection, a web for resilience, compassion, sharing, supporting, believing and voicing our collective pain and collective healing from the mundane to the profound and all that is between.
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visual art\\ a collection of paintings, drawings, photographs, doodles, scuplture, comics and digital art created in quarantine
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someday, after all of this is over, I will be there once again.
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“Creating art from home comes with a unique set of restrictions, which encourages the use of found objects. For this piece, Nest, I deconstructed bike wheels and then reconstructed them into the sculpture. The bike wheels were the last three bike wheels left in my family’s bike shop, which closed in September after over 25 years of business. Nest consists of string and twine, and the parts from the wheels: rims, tires, spokes, and bolts.” sculpture by Johanna Cordasco
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playing with color as light can be therapue self portraits by TĂŠa
etic...
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“Maybe If I Cut My Hair Off I Will Feel Better” by Nicole Chevalier
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poetry// poems and prose reflecting on our surroundings and emotions during quarantine
The sharp corners and long lines that Once sculpted me Are smoothed down to a soft circle So there are no new patterns Or unexpected turns To admire in me. The thought of you eats up my passion and swallows it whole Disapproving of my presence Selling it for a cheap price Spend that little money On cherry sweet simple lips Which will bore you to death Wake up to the cries of your name And come swallow me whole Again by Sofia Huttu-Hiltunen 27
“the channel through which it flows Is a childlike spirit that asks Simple truths and seeks new revelation� -pastel womanI wonder if artists are philosophers? Makers? Designers? See-ers? Does one wake up within the spirit (of artist) Or does one search for it? Can one search for it? Is the mystic spirit that energy of the artist? Is the artist the communicator of religion? Religion beyond religion that is That a paper bag is god? That home depot painters tape is god? That crayola crayons are god? That charcoal soaked pores are god? That those notes are god? The patchwork of this feels right A collapse of aesthetic An embrace of story Of childlike memory Of joy taped together when it calls itself joy by Olivia Wischmeyer
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lullaby for those who still greet you & sleeping eyes must once again open sticky eyelids cannot hold you & hush, tomorrow has come
you know this
to a still wet face & it has brought with it the names glittering red stitching themselves into still wounded skin & you will learn to love the taste of metallic remembrance on your tongue & you will continue to learn that skin is no longer your own with each new name that makes it home & you have never been the only one but some days the television remains muted & leaking water has blinded your sight & perhaps it will never end but tomorrow will still come & it will never end but the names still remain—new and old ready to meet you, again and again. by Angel Ogoemesim
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u come morning
photograph by Keza Ruranga
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10 RULES - A MANIFESTO TO THE SELF No. 1 - Keep your eye on the unspeakable thing and make sure it is present in everything you do. No. 2 - Be oblivious to the world for one hour each day, spend the rest acutely aware. No. 3 - Allow yourself and your work to take up space. No. 4 - Read through your notebooks and follow through with things. No. 5 - Be skeptical of your own work. Be even more skeptical of that of others. No. 6 - Perform a surrealist act each day, it is the best way to liberate yourself of the world. No. 7 - There is no such thing as looking into things too deeply. No. 8 - Consume. Keep yourself full. No. 9 - Stay hungry while keeping yourself full. No. 10 - Ensure that you are sharing your work with the right intentions. By Faith Franzonia 31
photograph by Faith Franzonia
I Never Noticed the Roses I never noticed the roses Just beyond the looming Threshold of my window They must have waited Years for weary eyes to be Made bright by velvet petals Not much grows On that side of the house Small fern, many thorns but now, whenever i Look outside my window I stop To admire their brilliance To think I had gone years Without them saddens me for I never noticed the roses by Devon Wolfe
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Quarantine Bright as Beaches And sharp as molars, The daylight finds me turning Cloudy wading sleep Lacks the dry sobriety Of sunday morning I can still smell my dreams In the dampness of my T-shirt Now Frozen, I am Secure Until my next shattering Hunger and stillness Copulate on the floor Until hunger is satisfied Stillness Left wanting When it comes again I’ll peer through the blinds To see who comes knocking by Dany Taylor
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Just Checking In Loneliness Is the evening’s chill As you walk alone To your apartment On a Friday night It’s the click and whir Of the key turning As you return To an empty house
You flip on the lights It’s 12:00 am And you’ve got a long day Ahead of you As you toss and turn Sleep never seems To greet you Loneliness Is sitting alone at the table With a cup of coffee As you try To shake off the all-nighter You just pulled
It’s picking up the phone As you search For the words to say To fill the void The Emptiness The endless expanse Of solitude Within the silence That only seems To grow with time
But, Sometimes These pensive moments Are full of potential A great opportunity To sit down And get to know yourself When’s the last time You checked in? Now is as good A time As any Don’t you think? by Mira Gaitanis
photograph by Faith Franzonia
movement & music//
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rainbow playlists!
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a playlist for each color of the rainbow based on cover art, vibes, and sensory memory associated with songs. scan QR code on spotify for access! created by Keza Ruranga 40
music by avery elford - thepublicuniversalfriend on bandcamp
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Untitled - “I made the animation for a short film I’m working on with a friend, but found myself motivated to define what intimacy might now look like between my partner and I.” by Isa Ramos
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featured artists// Julia Jin .......................................... Megan Jones ........................................ Jo Cordasco ........................................ Faith Franzoia ..................................... Angel Ogoemesim .................................... Emily Longobardi ................................... Nicole Chevalier ................................... Dany Taylor ........................................ Mira Gaitanis ...................................... Sofia Huttu-Hiltunen ................................ Devon Wolfe ........................................ Isa Ramos .......................................... Avery Elford ....................................... TĂŠa Ned ............................................ Shada Abd Alkader ..................................
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acknowledgements// we want to thank all the artists and creators who have contributed thier wisdom and efforts to cultivating work that speaks to the breadth of living. we are incredibly grateful for your contributions and support. 43
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we are sending our best wishes, hope, and happiness to everyone who took the time to work with us on this zine! we are so grateful for you all! thank you!
PATCHWORK 2020 INSTAGRAM: @patchwork_thezine