Meet Me at the Laundrette

Written/printed matter; paperback publication
125 x 190 mm, 300 pages

A statement towards a period of time, living in restricted isolation
and stories of being social in a non-space

Through a variety of social media channels the date and time of the laundry sessions are shared and announced.

I spend thirty-five minutes at the laundrette, waiting for my laundry to be done. I observe the comings and goings, collecting some thoughts and indulging myself in small conversations whilst waiting. How can a public space be so private — and how can privacy become public value in the glimpse of an eye?
I activate the space, I observe it, I use it, I leave it behind, I return again after 10 days. It is as much a social activity as it is possible. This work is a statement on the forced way of living during a pandemic, delivered through the micro universe of the laundrette — stories are told and privacy shared. ‘Meet me at the Laundrette’ is rooted in a performative process, with underlying repetition and rotation. Here, the planned meets the unexpected, the private the public and the intention the experience. It is all a cycle, like the washing procedure itself, a machine spinning round and round. It has its clear structure, filled with the same monotone action but always leading to different encounters and experiences.

At the end I am bringing something back to this space to set this cycle once again back to its beginnings. It is an artistic statement closing itself in itself after a certain period of time, commenting on the COVID-19 Pandemic through a collection of written reports, texts and sentences. All these stories from the laundrette can be found in a paperback publication which was left behind during a non-event, a non-exhibition in this non-space during these non-social times within the duration of thirty-five minutes. What will happen to the book and its stories? It will continue in some way, starting a new cycle I suppose…

#meetmeatthelaundrette