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Españolwashhouse follies
Between the Molières and Montabé wash houses, which have now disappeared, four artists invite the visitor to meet the washerwomen of yesteryear.
Where the washerwomen came to work at the Molières washhouse, a monochrome photograph dating from the 1900s, reproduced life-size by Bernard Sustrac, sets the scene.
The colorful silhouettes of Claude Laurent's washerwomen play on contrasts here and invite you no longer to imagine the past but to project yourself for a moment into this place synonymous with life, encounters and sharing. White, black, yellow and red represent humanity, green represents nature and blue represents the sky.
Along the path between the two wash houses, the visitor can discover The great laundry with thirty-six banners, a poem by Ingrid Ley, describing the laborious and customary gestures of the washerwomen, the intimate clothes revealed, the water, the soapwort, the coal. Habits and ancient values which echo the condition of women in the organization of society.
Finally, not far from the old Montabé wash house, now privately owned, an installation by K-rol Cordier leads the visitor to perceive the spirit of the washerwomen carrying the hope of emancipation through the dream of a better world. The alterable materials as well as the carefully chosen colors echo the evaporation of memories if we do not take care to transmit and honor them.
Then, the walker will implicitly be called to retrace his steps from Montabé to Molières in order to discover the words hidden in Ingrid Ley's poem.
Where the washerwomen came to work at the Molières washhouse, a monochrome photograph dating from the 1900s, reproduced life-size by Bernard Sustrac, sets the scene.
The colorful silhouettes of Claude Laurent's washerwomen play on contrasts here and invite you no longer to imagine the past but to project yourself for a moment into this place synonymous with life, encounters and sharing. White, black, yellow and red represent humanity, green represents nature and blue represents the sky.
Along the path between the two wash houses, the visitor can discover The great laundry with thirty-six banners, a poem by Ingrid Ley, describing the laborious and customary gestures of the washerwomen, the intimate clothes revealed, the water, the soapwort, the coal. Habits and ancient values which echo the condition of women in the organization of society.
Finally, not far from the old Montabé wash house, now privately owned, an installation by K-rol Cordier leads the visitor to perceive the spirit of the washerwomen carrying the hope of emancipation through the dream of a better world. The alterable materials as well as the carefully chosen colors echo the evaporation of memories if we do not take care to transmit and honor them.
Then, the walker will implicitly be called to retrace his steps from Montabé to Molières in order to discover the words hidden in Ingrid Ley's poem.
