Visiting Mr's Singh's "Art Laundrette"

MRS SINGHS "ART LAUNDRETTE"

A box of celebrations my mother gave me to give to offer Mrs Sing as I introduce myself

This afternoon I went to go visit Mrs Singh who owns and works in the "Art Laundrette" situated in Garnethill, behind the ruins of the iconic art nouveau styled Glasgow School of Art, destroyed by two fires in the past years.

Blue in it's hues, it is a smallish/largish laundrette that seems to be broken into two sections and has the classic checkered flooring. There I find a busy Mrs Singh ironing her families laundry as she has just arrived back from a trip to London. She's been very inspired by her trip to London as she has seen how spaces like laundrettes can also operates as double business. A Laundrette shop thats also a hot desking space, or a coffee shop. 

Some notes from Mrs Singhs conversation with myself:

• How we can create a culture of community at the laundrette so the local community will want to invest their money into it
• With the after effects of covid19 we need to support smaller business more as its a dying culture
• With the generational culture divide in the South Asian diaspora, there is a dying culture of knowing your roots
• What if there was a seamstress making one off beautiful beaded pieces alongside her for customers, because these pieces are so special and intricate and hand made makes people have a personal connection with the clothing and will feel drawn back to laundrette again
• Are young south asians are too "westernised", and theres a fear that the next generation will completely lose cultural practise
• The Laundrette could be a place for events that become famous, so when tourists plan to come to Glasgow they say, we MUST visit Mrs Singhs  Art Laundrette!

Mrs Singh is a very ambitious person who has big hopes for her laundrette space to become a busier and vibrant place for her local community. She recognises the space she has and wants people to enjoy it and use it. It feels like the Art Laundrette has the space to be a place for community and alternative ways of working.

As I told my mother (Mrs Ahmed) that I was going to visit an Indian woman called Mrs Singh my mother gave me a box of celebrations to give to her which I found really touching. This kind of gestures between micro communities and showing solidarity through care is important. Simple acts of kindness can open up spaces for safe conversations. Gestures of giving gifts is a huge part of South Asian practises, and it's a nice starting point to think about other ways we can "gift give" to each other to form bonds.