Overview
With talk of building a utopia and working on the basis of 'doing everything', Bababa International cannot fairly be accused of lacking ambition. Thankfully, there seems to be an engine of thoughtful multi-tasking and active generosity behind the collective's drive. Ticked off from the 'everything' list of things to do so far are:
- Set up a temporary site in Hong Kong offering free manicures and pedicures to anyone.
- Replace stolen public sculpture with handmade replica.
- Invite the Older Women's Network Theatre Group to perform their songs at the MCA.
- Build domestic lodging into the ground of a public park.
- Establish an impromptu kitchen and deliver free curry via bicycles to anywhere in Sydney.
- Continue becoming everyone's new best friends via their stomachs by hosting free public breakfasts every Saturday for the duration of their residency at Firstdraft.
Next up is Soap City, a project involving the production of bars of soap inscribed with maps leading visitors to an off-site shower on the rooftop above a doggy day care centre. While bathing was historically always a public and social domain, after the idea of showering was introduced washing has come to exist as a private act, and this sort of public/private intersection is what Bababa are drawn to.
When asked about their reliance of the ideas of the Situationist International, Bababa say they engage with some of the theory "without dragging them into it". They are more interested in the hypothetical and fanciful proposals of the movement than the slogans and rhetorical critiques. In an age when being subversive is rarely subversive any more, their brand of city vandalism is one which strives to be useful rather than rebellious, encouraging active engagement, imaginative reuse of urban space, and advanced social interaction.
Soap City opens at Firstdraft Gallery on Wednesday night at 6pm and runs until September 26. Go clean yourself up and make friends with Bababa.