Roman Laundry (the video)

Sometimes, it's good to see things in motion. The installation 'Roman Laundry (bucato alla romana)' took place on a sunny afternoon in May, 2011.  Still photography by Susan Kammerer, Kara Arterburn and Katie Morgan.  I shot the video footage.  You can hear my (barely)supressed voice saying "this is soo cool".

Roman Laundry (bucato alla romana)

Myth and Memory, History and Nostalgia, Dreams and Disappointments, I have hung them all up to dry in the afternoon Italian sun.

A temporary installation of Roman Laundry  (bucato alla romana), a group of large scale charcoal drawings that reference classical sculpture, which I have been working on over  past several months, took place on Sunday May 1, 2011 in Via de' Delfini, Roma. 


By its nature, intruding into public space invites public comment.  Without permission, I took over a street and asserted myself.  The comments were many.  The one that struck me the most was made by an Italian artist who said that in the work he can see my affection for the City.  Si, e vero.  I have great affection for this chaotic, frustrating, romantic, amazing, impeneterable and impossible place.

And a special THANKS to all who helped make this project happen!

Christopher Pelley with assistants Amanda Pratt, Katie Morgan, Kara Arterburn and Codi Lyn Harrington

  

More Drawing, More Laundry

Somewhere in that space between myth and memory, history and nostalgia lies the potential of the ordinary.  My work in general, and these large scale drawings in specific, explore the possibilities of the quotidien.  What could be more persistent than laundry put out to dry?  So I hung them out the window alla romana.

Roman Laundry

Laundry hanging out over the street, so much the italian cliche....  Maybe more reality than cliche, celebrated in paintings from Canaletto and Tintoretto on down through 19th century genre scenes, it just comes with the scenery. 

While in Rome, I find that I do a lot of drawing; not just carry the sketch pad around sort of thing, though I do do that, but also working in larger scale formats.  Laundry and drapery is ubiquitious here.  I love looking at drapery on antique marble fragments - it still feels so fresh, hanging off two thousand year old toned bodies, or blown by a long ago invisible wind.  I began doing drawings of them on the kitchen floor, and hanging them up on my clothesline.



Christopher Pelley   "Roman Laundry"   dimensions variable