Dirty Laundry

Zöe Papak

To air out one’s dirty laundry: to reveal secret, private, or embarrassing matters to the public, matters which are typically supposed to be kept to oneself. But what happens when these matters traditionally deemed as too taboo are shared with the public?
This video installation, under the title Dirty Laundry, depicts its only subject—merely existing as a vessel for the dirtiest parts of us—both literally and metaphorically airing out “her” dirty laundry. With each soiled garment hung on the clothesline, an anonymously given secret is revealed to the viewer, exploring (and further linking together) both sides of what airing out one’s dirty laundry could mean. What fueled the creation of this work is my own strong belief that everyone has personal matters held so closely to them that they will inevitably be taken to the grave, never to be spoken of, even to those closest to us... But why is that? Why can’t such matters be released? Especially when it is a shared experience? Through this work, I hope to ease this burden—for both participants and spectators—by taking this frowned upon task of airing out one’s dirty laundry and softening its ability to produce shame. Aspects of oneself are reflected in the subject on screen, allowing viewers to experience the cathartic release of this “dirtiness” that exists within all of us, as she releases it into the open. Constructed as a personification of the “dirty things” we keep to ourselves, this on-screen figure provides a form of concealment, enabling this release without us having to put a face to the shame.

About The Artist

Zöe Papak

Zöe Papak is a Toronto-based artist and Photography and Media Studies student at Toronto Metropolitan University. Using photography as a foundation, her practice expands into archival and multimedia processes, including ephemeral, textile, and often installation-based work.
Pursuing a career in archival photography, Zöe has a broader focus on material-based and interdisciplinary approaches to image-making.
Alongside her personal artistic practice, Zöe works professionally in Toronto’s film industry within the costuming department at Thunder Thighs Costumes Ltd., contributing to wardrobe on various film and TV productions.

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