I’ve had some health issues over the last few months and in the past couple of weeks I’ve had some long-awaited appointments, meaning that I’ve needed to use public transport - one of those post-lockdown things that used to be totally normal but now feels like either an adventure or a bit of an ordeal. It made me acutely aware of how lucky I am that I am able to do these things at all, when so many people are shielding and will be for some time. Kristina, another QDT Laundrette artist, is beginning to speak to some of these people and explore their stories.
Feeling unwell has slowed me down and when I do make it into laundrettes, I’m really appreciating seeing familiar faces, smelling that comforting scent of clean washing and hearing the rhythmic whir of the dryers.
A worker at Highdown Laundrette mentioned that customers had been taking an interest in the poster and asking him about the project, so I decided to leave a notebook there to encourage people to get in touch.
I did the same at Soapbox Laundrette, where a customer excitedly grabbed it from me and started writing immediately...
Soapbox is nestled amongst the colourful houses of Hanover, tucked away in an otherwise residential area of Brighton. It’s simple but spacious and Wendy, the manager, seems to know all the customers by name and everyone is always clearly pleased to see her. I’m looking forward to checking back and seeing what else has been written in the notebook and spending some more time there myself.
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