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Spreading the Care
How to care in times of crises?
A series of Spreading-the-care episodes. A collection and archive of small daily acts of care, daily care work out and care rituals.
We are a group who used to gather and talk about Care. How Care is stubborn, vulnerable, inter-dependent, structural, precarious and ambivalent. How Care is personal, political, engaged or reflective. With the outbreak of the Coronavirus and its consequences (isolation, fear, social inequalities, health complications, among others) talking about care, and reflecting on how-to-care became crucial (we do believe though that it is always a crucial matter)
These days we do not meet physically but invite you to follow, and join our various small/unexpected/personal/instantaneous/electrifying Care actions survival strategies/surrendering power/real life magics/movement/gestures
We chose to share for an unlimited amount of days as we believe we are all craving for continuity, persistence and hope more than for a one time temporary event. We chose as well to make this platform open for everyone to propose their care actions.
It is easy. You just have to check this blog.
Every other days someone will be sharing their care actions of the day. You just have to follow the instructions and join the action.
Do it from wherever you are.
Comment if you like.
But most of all add your own care style into it.
You can also always re-visit daily actions you already did.
If you want to send us reactions/care actions propositions/inputs you can reach us here: info[a]mohaproject.com
*This is not a final product, only the pilot of a growing movement, a moving archive, an ever changing practice in which we are all each other's learners*
Initiative led by Alice Pons, Olivia Reschofsky, Clement Brochard, Jesse van Epenhuijsen, Enno de Vos, Laura Fernandez Antolin, Sam Scheuermann, Julie Kurris, Pjotr Gonggrijp, born in the frame of 10x10 days Veem House for Performance. Carried on as an independent initiative.
What is Long Now Lab?
In the Long Now Lab a small group of people gather regularly for performances and work-and-think sessions at Veem House for Performance. We invite participants to go deeper: through conversation, imagination and workshops, with the aim of collectively creating ideas and proposals. This weekend was the last session and also the sharing with our audience. Due to the current situation, and because we care, we will transfer this sharing to an online sharing.
Who is MOHA?
MOHA is an Amsterdam-based artist collective who create performances, present workshops, devise publications, and propose alternative curatorial models. Operating outside conventional art institutions, we work in public spaces and with specific communities, aiming to shatter our personal bubbles and connecting with the day-to-day realities of people we might never otherwise encounter.
The Care list
of what we do, what we don't do, what we lack, what we receive
Care You do
You help people in the streets
You care until exhaustion and burn out
You make financial contributions to the homeless
You only buy second hand clothes - underwear asides
You drink coffee with neighbours
You refill the water and serve everyone at the table
You are being nice and polite to other people
You talk English to people who live in the Netherlands for a long time
You just hosted a not that close friend for 5 days in your room
You commit every Tuesday for several months to gather with a group that matters to you
You give random tips to strangers in life
You make life easier for transgenders
You offer details like plants, plant seeds, self-made ceramics or jewellery, food or traditional drinks to your loved ones when you haven’t seen them for a while or for special occasions
You take the time to explain to people what is going on
You try to be as available as you can for your homeless alcoholic friend even though it costs you energy
You remember details
You call your family every week
You write letters, postcards, you do phone calls to people you meet through your work
You ask people how they are
You pick up tasks that belong to others because in the end it just should be done
You take care of a cat who can be such a bitch sometimes
You send money to your father every month
You send audio messages to your friends
You visit a girl once a month who has not so many friends and you know she is lonely
You cut out all the plastic parts from the envelops so you can sort the garbage
You are not crossing red lights when there are kids around
You called your friend when her grandfather died
You visit your grandmother
You paint your grandma’s nails
You clean things in the house and you help with fixing stuff
You take care of your partner when he is ill
You buy products or services from small/medium local ethics business
You ride carefully on crossroads that are busy or lack visibility, or when it rains
You try to make your bed every day so you can come home to a clean bed
You try to change the law to fund the art scene
You give random morning wishes to your loved ones
You talk very long with your brother when he needs it
You take care of the baby of your friends
You wash your clothes
You call your relatives on their birthdays instead of a WhatsApp message
The responsibility that you have towards your friends is sometimes stronger than your own desire
You cut your friend’s hair
You support artists and facilitators practices
You give your place in transport to older people
You answer phone calls or emails
You clean your house
You give random, calm and beautiful morning and night wishes to your partner
You shower and brush your teeth
You are not putting people down
You shop second hand
You celebrate Christmas with your family
You give clothes to your friends
You make the effort to remember birthdays
You give a present to your friends
You separate your trash
You try to think positive also when you are not feeling like it
You make your own natural washing products
You wash the dishes at your friends’ place
You only buy second hand stuff in general, except new mattresses
You cook food for your family for Christmas
You remember the nice moments with your grandfather who passed away
You hosted two dancers who didn’t have a place to sleep
You don’t eat meat
You engage and propose solutions to people in challenging situations
You smile at people in the bus
You make home detergent with baking soda, Marseille soap, tea tree oil and lavender oil
You try to have food in your house that makes you feel warm and comfortable
You helped someone putting a suitcase on the train
You give food to your dog
You pick up papers/plastics on the streets
You invite your two friends who have a difficult time
You share food
You invite people sometimes although you don't have money
You use washable diapers for your son
And you use glass recipients to drink, also carry one to school or other meetings
Care you lack
When people don’t think with you although you clearly asked for help
When a friend cancels a meeting on you
When you were in Milan and you were lonely and people were not coming to ask you how you were
When people take the things you do for granted
When cops just hit without listening
When there is not a Global Basic Income
When people don't take time for you
When you don’t get dinner or dance nights-out invitations
When people think problems disappear if they don’t address them and keep smiling
When people only talk and are not interested in your point of view
When you don’t have time
When people are passive
When there is too many tourists
When people are not answering you while you always take the time for them
When your father never want to really hear about what you are studying
When your new friend is too busy these days
When your ex did not tell you at that time that (s)he was having an affair
When the government does not provide financial support
When your best friend never got back to you after several tries
When people are not answering for a long time
When people put their own problems on you. Like this waitress who makes you feel like shit
When people judge you behind your back
When there are no free border
When at work she abused your empathy a lot
When some people think you can endure everything
When your former boss takes away your entire product portfolio without a personal word to you
When people around you who fly often, eat meat, and consume a lot say that you are judgmental
When people are standing left and right in escalators
When abortion is still forbidden in some places
When people never apologies
When people just disappear without a word
When rude people drive dangerously in Spain
When rude people ride dangerously in Amsterdam
When people don’t take you seriously even though you do take them seriously
When you don't have a group you are clearly part of
When your friends don't invite you while it is difficult with your partner
When contraceptives are not available all over the planet
When your friend only calls you when she needs something
When there is too much renovation work in Amsterdam
When your local municipality does not allow for more underground club cultured events where you could go
When your ex did not care about your feelings in tough situations
When some places ask you to work for free so you can solve their audience problem
When there is too many empty insults and discord between political parties in Spain
When people don’t answer your email calling for help
When nationalities are still barriers and not a cultural diversity to be shared
When your first ever ex-partner replied a very mean email to you in response to a very sweet email you sent
When politicians or corporations so often go for short term profit
When at the end of the party you organised people were not grateful
When people don't do what they said they would and don't even bother telling you
When someone tagged your toilet during a party
When a far long ex used to scream at you and you said nothing because you were too young
When you are rejected
When there is not a city, or place to live without speculation
When there is not a reusable systems for groceries
When you felt sometimes that the work you did didn’t matter for the host institution
When your partner did not welcome you in a nice way after you came back from a heavy few days
When contraceptives are still not affordable
When people throw cigarettes on the floor
When an invitation never get an answer back
Care you don't do
You reject Facebook friends
You judge people you don’t know
You don’t care about Games of thrones
You eat meat sometimes
You never take care of your hair
You bite your lips
You don’t care if your wrapping gifts are messy
You don’t care if people look messy in the morning (or later too)
You don’t care enough about your health
You first think of what you need then of what someone else does
You don’t read enough
You do a lot of social media
You kiss the baby first and not him
You still buy groceries at the supermarket
You don’t care about looking corporate at work
You sometimes don’t pay because you are too “zuinig”
You said you would see a friend and you didn’t
You are lazy to do extra cleaning
You don’t get to know your neighbors
You don’t see your grandmother enough even though she asks you to visit her
You don’t care about some rain
You create the situation for your own benefit
You don’t call your father enough
You take the plane for middle distances in Europe, like Amsterdam-Madrid or Amsterdam-Prague
You still buy too much shit wrapped in plastic or that contains palm oil
You were supposed to pay back a man from a night shop and you never did it
You forget things
You eat everyone else’s food
You don’t care about curling
You don’t pick up the trash of the person who just dropped it
You don’t always listen to what your body tells you
You often talk a lot and you can be rude
You don’t read news
You often call your parents only when you need to ease your mind or troubles
You don’t visit a friend because transport is too expensive
You are not mindful of your glasses even though you need them
Sometimes you choose the easy road
You don’t involve yourself or put interest in your classmates or school projects
You weren't interested in politics for a long time and still have to push yourself
You could eat a bit less shit, smoke less, drink less or do more sport, but you don’t really
You have not called your sister for a long time
You should call your mother more
Sometimes you say you will do stuff and in the end you don’t do it
Sometimes you want to care more about things. Sometimes you want to stop caring
Sometimes you are too lazy to cook and you rely on your flatmates
Once you promised a guy you would call him back and instead you just disappeared
You still take the plane sometimes
You don’t learn Dutch
You are not involved in community work
You still eat in fast foods sometimes although it is against a lot of your principles
You don't really care if there are holes in your clothing
You ignore people crying in the train
You sometimes say no to people who come to you in the street even before knowing what they want to ask
You don't always respond to sexual offers
You don’t care sometimes about the other’s point of view
You don't care what people respond to your actions or statements
You don't share food
You threw away at the first Tuesday of the month the broken table and chair from the previous tenants
You don't answer if you don't know your plans yet
You are not cleaning your house often enough
You eat fish and you consume dairy products
You fly
You drive a car
You don't give money to rescue organisations
You don't do volunteer works
Care you receive
When your mother sends everyday a Buenos Dias message with a tacky image
When you can always call your partner
When last week the cashier let you off when you were 1 euro short for your groceries
When you are still healthy
When you sometimes lose it and someone you don't know in the street helps you
When you know few people in your life will always be there
When your neighbor guards your parcel when you are gone
When in bad times your friends listen to your long monologues and still come back for the next one
When your brother always invites you for a rum, a joint and mario smatch football even when he is tired
When your friends are present for you, supports you and listens to you
When someone hosts you and makes you a nice bed with clean sheets on it
When you went to Berlin to pick up your stuff from your ex’s place. Your friend hosted you, she gave money for the taxi and got drunk with you
When your partner travels in the middle of the week skipping class to attend and support you on your first workshop
When your dentist looks after your teeth
When your mother calls you to check how you are doing
When you are always welcome in your brother’s house
When your brother wanted to spend the new year with you because otherwise he knew you would be alone
When someone cooks for you when you need it
When your friend came home with you because you were scared
When your friend sent you a postcard
When your cat sleeps with you when you are there
When you can have sex with 3 girlfriends without a fuss
When you eat chocolate
When you got offered a studio space with the artist you did an internship with
When your friend always try to cheer you up when you are sad
When you get a lot of cards, little presents, flowers from people you meet through work
When your friend makes you a garlic shot from her magic recipe when you are sick
When people at your job helped you out big time when you couldn’t work because of depression
When your father always want to help and solve problems even when they don't exists and it's annoying
When you get hugs from friends
When your family keeps your room in their home as your endless shelter and storage
When the people with whom you worked at the cemetery came to your event
When the people from the Tuesday evening group come together each week
When you feel that people who invite your work really find it interesting and want to help
When your one close friend texts and calls you every day to know if you are alright or what you are doing
When your partner makes breakfast in the morning
When the bike maker helped you with your bike
When your partner drives you during the holidays because you are not an experienced driver
When you buy vegetables from the farmers
When you get random video calls from your friends now that we are all in quarantine
When you got a nice tip last week when someone said the food you made was tasty
When your partner covers your back with sunscreen and tells you when you are getting red
When people correct you on the words you use or on your grammar, helping you when you don't know the English word
When your boss only negative comment in your year review was that you wanted to do too much and that you should take care and he would help
When your partner drives and walks you to unknown beaches and forests
When your mother gives you food when you are home
When your father cleans your shoes every time you visit home
When people talk to you on the street
When your partner’s family teaches you French talking slowly and repeating for you
When your mother’s brother died and your father's nephews sent you lovely messages
When a secret donator donates each month money to your company
When your partner lets you do your work and takes care of your son
When your flatmates let you eat their food
When your ex used to bring you breakfast in bed
When people ask you how you are doing, what you think and what you like
When your roommate shares his food with you
When new friends propose collaborations on their practices
When you get drinks from friends even though you don't give them a drink or money
When you get clothes from your cousin that she does not wear anymore
When people congratulate you on your birthday
When you always had a ride while hitchhiking
When you could warm up at your neighbours place and also stay over at your dad while your heating was out
When a friend advised you for a great spa
When someone helped you taking your bike down from a high spot
When your psychologist tries to help
When people notice that you are too skinny
When your friends read your thesis to comment and support you
When your partner loves you
When some friends made you a wonderful surprise for your birthday
When the bus driver brings you here
When your friend make groceries for you as you felt sick
When you get a random - te quiero - message from your partner and your family
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