Aisha Tandiwe Bell presents SUSU – a community-based arts project commissioned by The Laundromat Project. The first installment of Bell’s project will take place this Sunday April 15th from 2 to 6 pm.
In the Akan language of West Africa, “susu” means small-small. It refers to the build-up of small contributions that create something larger from which everyone benefits. Through a series of performances that will take place in front of Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Marmy Laundromat, Brooklyn-based artist Aisha Tandiwe Bell will create SUSU – a fabric sculpture made from articles of clothing donated by her neighbors.
Important dates
Sunday April 15, 2012, 2-6pm – A Gathering of Old Clothes
Please bring one article of clothing to Marmy Laundromat 197 Malcolm X Blvd on the corner of Putnam Ave. The clothes do not have to be in good condition. They will become a part of a large-scale sculpture. Along with the clothing we will ask for a few words that relate to you, your donation and or your experience as a member of the community of Bedstuy.
Sunday April 22, 2012, 2-6pm – A Gathering of Old Clothes - Part 2
In case you weren’t able to make it on the 15th, drop-off your clothes to be included in Bell’s large-scale sculpture.
Sunday April 28, 2012, 12-6pm – Wash, Dye and Dry; Clothing Lines
On this day, all of the donated clothing will be bleached and dyed in front of Marmy Laundromat.
Sunday May 6, 2012, 4pm – Shedding
Bell will present a performance that combines movement and the words written by participating members of the Bedford-Stuyvesant community.
As an extension of its Create Change Public Artist Residency, The Laundromat Project announces a new commissioning program that allows the organization to work with artists to produce a site-specific public art project at their local laundromat. The commissioning arm builds on the goals of the Create Change program, which was developed to connect artists of color and their communities in meaningful ways by resourcing them to place art-making in the context of everyday living.
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