The Coven Collection — Summer, Raumati

[02] OBJECT —

Artwork by Sarah Nsikak. — recommended by Jenna Saraco, Photographer

[03] SEASONAL EXPERIENCE —

Never closing my windows. — recommended by Lauren Speaker King, Painter.

I spend as much time out in my garden as possible this time of year, my absolute happy place. It is inspired by a wild prairie and is on a very steep hillside; I often refer to it as my billy goat garden. I take so much pleasure in seeing how the plants are spreading and developing their own patterns as they intermingle and combine, year after year, and the bird population is increasing on our little woodland edge. I put a lot of faith in plants, and yet I try to hold it all very lightly. Derek Jarman's writing is so brilliant on the garden, and it's never summer without me searching around for my copy of Tove Jansson's The Summer Book, which I have gifted to so many people over the years and keep having to re-purchase so I can give it away again. — recommended by Makenna Goodman, Author

I suggest juicing leftover watermelon rind with a bit of lime for those who have access to a juicer. It’s a simple and refreshing way to make use of everything during the warmer months! I’m drawn to this because it’s a simple, sustainable habit that feels incredibly crisp and cooling in the heat. — recommended by Nastassia Conquet, Photographer 

After what feels like a never-ending winter, the warmth offers promise of movement and togetherness. Originally sketched in the smallest of all sketch books, this etching, ‘Sisters Dancing,' is a meditation on joy and connection. Seemingly floating through voided space, two sisters dance, mimicking one another through movement and shape. More sisters will follow, eventually all womanhood, as time moves on, but for now, it is just two. A moment that will seemingly last for eternity. — recommended by Miriam David, Artist

[04] READING —

A Life’s Work by Rachel Cusk. — recommended by Jen Steele, Photographer 

An Elemental Thing by Eliot Weinberger. — recommended by Lauren Speaker King, Painter

[05] COVETING, HOME —

Gerhard Richter's Atlas, in Four Volumes — recommended by Lauren Speaker King, Painter

A gorgeous set of Loup Sarion's glasses. — recommended by Jen Steele, Photographer 

[06] COVETING, WEAR —

Evan Kinori shirts — recommended by Lauren Speaker King, Painter

Emily Dawn Long T-shirt is the perfect spring weight and makes me feel cool and comfortable. — recommended by Jenna Saraco, Photographer

[07] FILM —

The Anniversary Party (2001) is a favourite that I rewatch every year. — recommended by Jenn Park, Designer

Tokyo Melody (1985), directed by Elizabeth Lennard. I was moved watching this again seeing his creative process the total expression in his music making. It's an all-encompassing way of living. — recommended by Kristin Okuda Dickson, Designer at Iko Iko

I know I am very late to this, but for some reason I had been putting off watching Harold and Maude (1971) for years. It was not what I had been expecting at all (I love to go into things completely blind). The first 30 minutes of the film, I thought I was watching a movie set and filmed in the British countryside, with its lush green landscapes, opulent castle-manor house, weirdly unplaceable British-transatlantic accents of its main actors, and the very formal suiting and costumes of its bourgeois characters.

However, I was bewitched to find out that the film takes place in none other than my home state — California! — which made me nostalgic for a Northern California / San Francisco of yore that I had no part in. The house Harold lives in, located in the town of Hillsborough, I soon learned, is one of the wealthiest enclaves in the country. I yearn for the days of the pre-tech boom of the Bay Area, when the old money/ gilded opulence of the city was at the forefront, and homes like the one in the film were built for newspaper scions. — recommended by Dalya Benor, Writer

[08] VIEWING —

Dancing with Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage at The Wallis — recommended by Lauren Speaker King, Painter