The Twirling World of Lazy Susan
elaborates further on previous projects about ‘housing’. I like to further dive into the recent
history household technology that both lifted domestic labour and made the
female role more complex. I like to view it from an absurdist and historical perspective
in comparison with the current online ‘tradwife’ trend. It fascinates my how modernist
ideas about efficiency in a standardized domestic space both optimized household
tasks and patronized the female role. Female entrepreneurs fought for small
liberties that are now so much integrated in our daily lives that they are easily
overlooked. Even tradwives are not aware of their feministic predecessors while
celebrating (not so) traditional household labour. This new project refers to a
carousel cabinet or turning table called a ‘Lazy Susan’. A patronizing name for
an efficient household object named after Susan, a nickname for maids.
In October, after my maternity leave, I will start this
project.
(Bronnen: ‘More Work For Mother’ (1985) – R.S. Cowen en ‘Selling
Mrs. Consumer’ (1929) – C. Frederick).
![]()
