3 Bieberstrology Love Charm

Harry potter, Sabrina, the Worst Witch, Charmed, Practical Magic, The Craft.. There was a saturation of witchcraft girl power in the 90s and I wanted to be a witch. I don’t even know who I’m fooling by saying ‘wanted’ to because I do, I want to be a witch.  And not a Pagan or Wiccan, which I am known to dabble in, but a broom riding, spell casting totally fab and glam Witch!

Now I’ve grown up and the burden of reality has made me realize there is no such thing as magic (at least the sort of magic I would have been interested in) and I’ll never talk to animals, change my outfits with a spell, make stuff levitate, be quiddich captain or get Harvey to fall in love with me. But it has left a huge impact of my imagination.

And while I was getting back to my transitional years between childhood to teenhood through fan-art it made me think about how much superstition and belief in magic shaped the way I was a fangirl. Not only was I a big fan of anything wichty but I also cast a lot of fan-spells. Not really love spells, just spells to do with celebrities and movies and TV shows and I’d always have pictures of my idols, mostly fictional characters, up on my alter with candles and flowers and all the romantic junk. Not even idols I had a crush on, just idols I wanted to be like or look like or send luck to or whatever.

I bought a stack of Bieber fan magazines at a charity shop for my studies. I’ve read them all cover to cover. I know so many unless and dull facts about that boy. It’s always interesting to look into fandom about things you’re not a fan of, it gives you a really non bias and unemotional insight into fandom and the way celebrities are marketed to fans. Anyway, I found an article called Bieber-strology, a list of the zodiacs and how compatible your star sign is with his. Being both Pisces we’re not very compatible. But it’s ok, I can live with that. But it made me think about how interesting that is, that connection and juxtaposition between superstition, clairvoyance, paganism and fandom, pop culture and celebrity.

I went to my bedroom and from using personal found objects (and the Bieber mags) I constructed an installation of an altar of a young teen witch casting a love charm on Justin Bieber.  The teen witch is using the same sort of magic as I used, ancient oh whatever, that looks magicy enough technique : ‘Rose petals blessed in the shadows of a full moon? Nah, this bag of air-freshener is good enough. Light 6 red candles? I’ve only got 2 and Dad’s gonna kill me if the smoke alarm goes off’.. yeah, you get the picture. I know now this is practically blasphemy to any real Pagan but spells like this it was more just make believe play for me than anything akin to religious ritual.