The 1980s in World 71 saw mismanagement of utilities on a mass scale by the British government. Power cuts and water shortages were commonplace. The essential use of power and water was prioritised, leaving individuals to create resourceful approaches to ‘non-essential’ activities such as laundry. Over time, this led to a shift in the nation’s laundry habits.
Following the voting in of a new progressive government, legislation was developed to integrate clothes airing into new buildings. Architects and interior designers began to integrate ‘airing spaces’ that are creative and efficient. Communal and individual facilities celebrate the decorative nature of clothing. Fences, partitions and room dividers evolve depending on clothing use. Clothes are laundered with water much less frequently.
What if …
property developers were legislated to integrate clothes drying and airing spaces into new buildings, which leads to a mix of communal & individual facilities that celebrate the decorative nature of clothing?
Issue targeted:
the environmental impacts of the over laundering of clothing and the use of tumble dryers; promotion of ‘wash less, air more’
Inspiration:
Amy Twigger Holroyd once described to me an airing wall she uses to hang clothes in her home; Emma Rigby developed a provocation as part of her PhD which looked at decorative approaches to storing clothing
This World was contributed by Jade Lord (located in Yorkshire, UK) using a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence which allows others to share and adapt the work in any medium and for any purpose, providing that they credit the author and share their material using the same Creative Commons licence.
Does this World remind you of something?
I am keen to hear about any historical or contemporary real-world examples – whether individual practices, subcultures or mainstream activities – that this fiction brings to mind.
Please share any such examples using this form. Thank you!