Land of Laundries is an exhibition that considers the symbolism of laundry. The installation has seven pairs of bronzed arms, trapped in pillories, each engaged in a laundry task; soaping, pegging, folding, and ironing. The pillories form a circle, indicating the repetitive nature of the work. In a period when few working-class women were able to work outside the home, the cleanliness of laundry was seen as evidence of proficiency as a wife and mother. Laundry is rarely mentioned in literature, so to research Land of Laundries. I developed reminiscence workshops with older women at the Museum of the Home in London, and at Maerdy Womens Guild in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales. I collected theories and superstitions, generated over the centuries, about washday, and the pillories are linked by textiles embroidered with stories that judge the skill and personality of the laundress. With the advent of the washing machine the task has become less onerous, yet according to a recent poll only 7% of men do all the household laundry.Land of Laundries suggests that, despite a century of feminism, washing continues to be women’s work.Installed at Bruce Castle Museum