Synopsis

Want to know what you have in common with a Maltese Police Officer, a Thai monk or a deep-sea diver off the coast of New Zealand?

This book is based on the notion that it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, who you are, or what you do - we all share similar experiences. It can be said that we all have laundry to do!

In this book, I have personally brought together the lives of 80 people, from 80 different countries through the collective necessity of washing clothes. Through the narrative of photography and life reflections, each participant has answered my calling and sent in their unique responses from all around the world.

The responses moved me deeply; I could not have predicted the deep and meaningful answers from people speaking so frankly about all topics from their hopes and aspirations, to their fears and regrets in life. The images are beautiful and the stories magical: you can literally tour the world with them, as you’re transported on a worldwide journey of washing lines, and more.

It was my mission. And I now had proof. I, an autistic person, against better odds and various misconceptions about those from the spectrum, had found these people and brought them together. I’d created a snapshot of 80 people from around the world and unlocked their perspective on the world today. Laundry, and a whole lot more, had bought us together.

In 2015, I was deeply affected by the devastating earthquakes in Nepal, a country I had previously volunteered in. While there, I also gained inspiration from the traditional prayer flags, which moved in the wind reminding me of the laundry back home. This connection, the plight of the local people and the similarities that I noticed inspired the art project. The idea grew into a pop-up exhibit that was shown in launderettes and then led to a fully-fledged art show. The project came into fruition as an art installation that toured 3 cities in the South-East of England. I successfully gained Arts Council funding, backing from The National Autistic society (as I am autistic and included this theme within the makeup of the exhibitions) and received incredible feedback from those that visited the exhibitions.

It feels only right that I now collate these fascinating stories and photos into a book which can then be shared across the globe.

Outline

Introduction

-       Inspiration: this section talks through where the idea for the project came from and grew in my mind; from being diagnosed with autism and wanting to create an ‘autism-friendly’ art exhibition to the prayer flags that reminded me of laundry back home.

-       Aims: the social messaging was a strong element and motivator for doing the project in the first place. ‘We are all the same’ is the premise of the project and I talk through this in more detail and how washing lines fit in with this.

The Project in Stages

-       The chapter runs through how the project grew; how I connected with people from around the world and encouraged them to send me photos of their washing lines and answer questions about their lives.

-       The progression of the project is documented: how it grew to receive its first piece of funding; conducting workshops with community cultural groups; exhibiting in launderettes in Berkshire and London; receiving Arts Council funding to showcasing the installation in its full form in 3 cities!

-       The final part shows photos and feedback from the 3 exhibitions that took place, so readers can see what it all amounted to in the end.

The Photos and Stories

This is the main section of the book in which all 80 photos and their stories are shared and split out by continent.

-       Australasia

-       Africa

-       Asia

-       Europe

-       The Americas

FAQs

-       A question and answer style format, where I answer some of the most commonly asked questions throughout the project and exhibitions, e.g. how did you find all 80 people that took part in the project?

Workshop Material

-       Workshops were run with schoolchildren as part of the project, and here I include examples of activities that can be done with children, as well as essay questions that can be discussed with older children.

Final Page

-       A short biography of me, including my website and social media details, as well as a link to my next/current exhibition/project

Audience

The primary market is those interested in art, photography, travel, autism and stories of people from around the world. The 80 stories touch on issues relating to politics, existentialism, psychology and life in the 21st century.

Looking at the demographics of those that visited my exhibition, there was a fairly even distribution of ages, though 35-45-year olds were the most populous age range with females being the primary gender. Many school children also attended the exhibitions. Over a thousand attended the exhibitions in total, while total audience reach was estimated at 1376951 (online, broadcast and in writing).

Due to the social messaging of the exhibition, the book could serve the educational market, as it is an accessible way for people to explore diversity in cultures and countries, e.g. by examining the differences in the washing line photos. Educational workshops were carried out at the exhibitions, with fantastic feedback.

Promotion

·         Rallying friends, family and colleagues and their connections

·         Creating a fully-fledged social media campaign using appropriate hashtags to garner support from people that could be interested in supporting such a project

·         Utilising my email list (c.900 people)

·         Utilising followers on my social media platforms (Twitter: 1038; Facebook; 1071; Instagram: 335)

·         Contacting press that have featured my exhibition already (the BBC news and BBC radio, as well as Londonist, London Live, and other press and blog sites) to see if they can run a story/interview on the potential book

·         Writing a press release and sending it to appropriate media outlets, including autistic based ones

·         Utilising autism-based organisations and supporters who are aware of my art project, including MBE Carly Jones who officially launched the show in Reading, as well as Dr Simon Baron-Cohen (renown autism expert)

·         Contacting schools (those I have worked with via workshops) and other educational institutions to gain support and inclusion in their teaching programs.

·         Utilising/contacting the following organisations: Autism Berkshire, The National Autistic Society, Doctor Trevor Powell (neuropsychologist who diagnoses asperger’s syndrome in adults in the Berkshire area)

·         The Laundry and Dry Cleaning industry (i.e. LCT magazine)

Competition

1. The Laundry Art Book, Hardcover – March 1, 2015, by MALLORY NEEVE WILKINS (Author) - £27, Publisher: Blurb, 28 pages (Website: www.mallorysdesign.com/)

The book has a niche in the author’s expertise on feng shui, and how the elements can impact and cleanse both negative and positive energies in clothes that are hanging out to dry. It is a photography book, based on the photographer’s travels. My book has a more focused format in that there are photos of washing lines from 80 different countries with a greater human element, as it includes a snapshot of each person’s life.

2. Consider the Clothesline: Vibrant Images of Laundry and Life – April 2016, by FRANCES ANDRIJICH (Photographer) and SUSAN MAUSHART (Author) - £14, Publisher: Echo Publishing            

Laundry from Western Australia is the central theme here and the book celebrates washing lines that the authors have encountered in their travels around this specific region. Anecdotal and witty, the photos create the key component around which the commentary is based. The book focuses on the history and nostalgia of washing lines and what this means to the authors. My book has a more international, and thus wider appeal, which I feel may appeal more to those interested in culture, travel and diversity, as it gives them a unique window into the world and its people.

Non-washing line related books:

3. Beautifully Different: Autism: Viewing the World Through a Different Lens – August 2014, by MAKIKO (Author) - £16.90, Publisher: Matador; UK ed. edition

Though this book is not related to washing lines, it is a photography book about children with high-functioning autism who attended a renowned autism programme in Maryland, U.S.A. It captures portraits of the children who took part and their inspirational journeys as they reached particular milestones. The book plays a pivotal role in the autism market for books, of which there are many: those on diagnosis; living with autism; guidebooks – but also memoirs and inspiring stories/perspectives. My book fits in with this market, as it is my Asperger’s diagnosis that made me question and create an ‘autism friendly’ art exhibition. Moreover, people from the spectrum often have artistic traits and thus this would be a relatable book full of inspiration for autistic audiences.

4. Washing Lines: A Collection of Poems Paperback – September 12, 2011, by JANIE HEXTALL (Compiler) and BARBARA MCNAUGHT (Compiler) - £7, Publisher: Lautus Press, 80 pages

The collection is ultimately a celebration of washing lines and comprises of over 50 poems ranging from folk songs such as 'Dashing away with the smoothing iron' to contemporary poems by renowned poets including Seamus Heaney, Gillian Clarke, Tess Gallagher and Pablo Neruda. The book I am looking to produce is very different, but it shows how washing lines are topical and have great relevancy from a societal perspective, as it’s something that’s universal and affects everybody.

Through my extensive research, there was nothing further that I could find that related closely enough with what I'm looking to produce.