Stephen and George Laundry Line
Ridgewood, NY
June 2016
sglaundryline.tumblr.com
Untitled (Banners: Swedish and Finnish), reflective fabric on polyester. 150 cm x 400cm, 2015.
Finnish:Sinulla ei taida olla kaikki Muumit laaksossa
English: Seems like you don’t have all your Moomins in the valley
collected: Vaasa, Finland (12-17-2015)
origin: common Finnish expression (based on a Finnish fairy tale) to say someone is dim-witted
Swedish jank: Hon har nog inte allting hemma.
English: She doesn’t have everything at home.
collected: Vaasa, Finland (12-21-2015)
origin: common Swedish expression
Stephen and George Laundry Line
The definition of spectacle has etymological roots in the Latin word, specere, to look. By using the laundry line as a stage for a highly local display, the Stephen and George Laundry Line attempts to highlight the voyeuristic aspect of living in a city. The shared backyard spaces in city blocks are sites for daily and accepted public displays of intimates accessed only by a string, but on the ground, they are more often forgotten, even forbidden places to the people who share it.
The Stephen and George Laundry Line is a space where the act of looking is celebrated and encouraged. It takes place in a backyard in Ridgewood, Queens. It is literally on a laundry line.