We arrived for the public opening of the exhibition and almost immediately we were swamped - Roxane was asked for a TV interview and people started to gather round wanting to make roses. Susan zoomed up to the office to store our bags and when she came down there was a large crowd around our table. Roxane was just visible in the middle. Any fears we had about how our installation would be received were quickly put to rest. We were literally overwhelmed!
It seems we have been speaking endlessly about our project. There were two television interviews at the opening and then we were asked to be one of the artists who introduced their work during the opening speeches. Everyone is asking "Why laundry?!"
This group of design students from Siberia took great delight in making roses and photographing the installation. Luckily for Susan two of the students spoke English so she could explain the project as well as get a sense of their lives.
We met lots of lovely people who were so enthusiastic about what we were doing. Susan met a potential pen pal for her daughter and Roxane was consulted about one grandmother's outfit. We were really delighted to meet up with some of Roxane's old friends. Igor Baskin is also taking part in the exhibition, and Vera Svetlova and Lyuda Belova worked with her in the emplacements project here in the early 2000s. Lyuda was our Angel of Mercy when she brought us coffee, cheese sandwiches and chocolate at a point when we were completely shattered and didn't know if we could carry on.
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