In August 1998, I was invited by Rüdiger Lange, founder of Loop – Raum für aktuelle Kunst, to create an immersive, performative installation titled Laundry Days at the Volksbühne Pavilion at Rosa-Luxemburg Platz in Berlin. This “living installation” transformed the space into a hybrid salon, living room, and attic, serving as a dynamic environment for exploring and negotiating identity.
Over a two-week period, from 6 PM to midnight, the installation featured a curated selection of Vietnamese drinks, food, music videos, documentary films, and atmospheric field recordings from my travels in Vietnam. These elements were deliberately “hung out to dry,” symbolically airing the “laundry” of complex issues surrounding identity and my dual roles as both insider and outsider in Vietnam and Germany.
The title Laundry Days encapsulates this metaphor, reflecting the process of exposing and examining personal and cultural narratives.The installation functioned as a performative space and a site of encounter, inviting individuals from diverse backgrounds to engage in conversation and inquiry. Visitors entered the space, interacted with the materials, and engaged in dialogues, contributing to a collective exploration of identity and cultural exchange.
This project marked the beginning of an intense period of artistic exploration for me, delving into themes of identity, cultural heritage, and the fluid dynamics of insider and outsider perspectives. In creating an environment that encouraged open engagement and reflection, Laundry Days facilitated a performative investigation into the complexities of self-representation and cultural negotiation.
