Athens Laundry

Is it possible to map an area through the laundry hanging out to dry? What information do these washed up clothes provide about life in the less famous neighborhoods of Athens’ city center? How many residents would accommodate an artwork on their balcony during quarantine? Do art projects in neglected areas matter? Is Victoria Square pretty or dodgy?

These are some of the questions that are explored in the billingual (english-greek) publication Athens Laundry Μπουγάδα, a book about the digital art project of the same name which appeared on social media in 2020, capturing ropes, clothes pegs and laundry hanging, in an attempt to document life in the Athenian neighborhoods of Patission Westside and evolved into an “art game”, with the support of neighbors and the participation of nine representatives from the local contemporary art scene: Irini Bachlitzanaki, Marina Velisioti, The Callas, Sofia Kouloukouri, Eleanor Lines, Iris Plaitakis, Marilia Kolibiri, Maria Varela and Theodora Malamou.

The book includes a selection of photos from the project’s photograpgihc archive, as well as three texts by Panos Dragonas (Architect, Professor of Architecture & Urban Design, University of Patras), Ifigeneia Dimitrakou (Postdoctoral researcher, Social and Cultural Geography, University of Zurich) and Dora Vasilakou (Art Historian, Curator) that focus on the project’s architectural, social and artistic aspects: they research the ways of organizing a DIY art activity in a “difficult” area and provide a quick retrospective on the history of the balconies and of Victoria Square in an attempt to understand the area’s present state in an insightful, honest and sensitive way.