Hands, sheet, broom: a statistical chronicle

Public space action, 2019

If one imagines Korzo as an outdoor dormitory, the tourists who arrive in Rijeka in the period of a single day would have to be accommodated in beds placed 80 centimetres apart so as to make room for everyone.

In a country where the economy is becoming more and more dependent on tourism, the growth of the number of accommodation facilities necessitates the growth of the number of people who maintain this infrastructure - cleaning women, chambermaids, and others. The statistics on the number of overnight stays and the number of guests usually show whether certain tourism is successful. The tasks involved in the preparation and maintenance of tourist infrastructure (making beds, for example) are mostly done by women. They remain among most vulnerable groups of workers, despite the growth of the need for seasonal workers.

The idea of Hands, sheet, broom is to make the work of these workers, of chambermaids, cleaning women, and laundresses, more visible. The statistics on their work (the number of beds made, linen changed, square meters of surfaces vacuumed, toilet paper tubes changed, etc.) are translated into the outline of the public space of Korzo, the main public space in the City of Rijeka.

The piece is conceived as a public space action, taking place in two days, during which I distributed tri-fold brochures with the aforementioned statistics and their visualisations. The passers-by could also take part in a survey by intervening in the space of the stand and giving a comment on the relationship between tourism and the City of Rijeka, which has become involved in this industry over the past couple of years.

The piece is made as a response to the invitation of the art organisation From the Citizens to Their City.

Design: Petra Milički
Photo documentation: Tanja Kanazir
Architect: Iva Ivas

Brochure (CRO)