When internationally recognised artist and designer Mike Hewson conceived The Key’s Under the Mat, he envisioned more than an exhibition. Installed within the vast Nelson Packer Tank at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the project transforms the industrial space into a participatory design that comprises a playground, communal gathering space and construction site. Within this layered environment, everyday infrastructure becomes part of the artwork itself; including a fully operational laundry, supplied and installed by Richard Jay.
The immersive installation invites visitors to move through zones of water play, climbing areas and social spaces such as a barbecue area, all unified as a collective experience. Since opening, the exhibition has attracted exceptionally strong attendance and engagement, already being regarded internally as one of the most successful and heavily attended exhibitions staged in the space.
Where infrastructure becomes art
The laundry component operates as critical supporting infrastructure within the artwork, enabling the safe and continuous rotation of towels, robes and slippers used throughout the exhibition’s water and steam elements. The machines quietly support hygiene, comfort and visitor flow, ensuring the immersive experience remains seamless for thousands of guests.
In keeping with the artist’s vision, the equipment is not hidden away. It is fully integrated into the physical structure of the installation. Several washers and dryers form the load-bearing legs of a large stone slab table, while two dryers are suspended upside down from the ceiling while remaining fully operational. The result is both sculptural and functional: everyday machinery reimagined as part of a communal artwork.
Richard Jay in dialogue with design
Our team supplied eight refurbished LG commercial laundry machines and proudly supported the delivery of this technically complex installation. The decision to use refurbished, commercial-grade equipment aligned with the exhibition’s themes of reuse and sustainability while ensuring the durability required for continuous operation in a high-traffic public environment.
Richard Jay worked as a technical partner and supplier, contributing practical expertise to help realise an ambitious and unconventional artistic vision. The robustness of commercial laundry equipment has allowed the machines to function both as structural elements and operational systems, therefore demonstrating how industrial-grade design can perform reliably even in extraordinary contexts.
The art of the mundane
The Key’s Under the Mat exhibition invites visitors to reconsider how shared spaces operate, as well as how infrastructure supports care, comfort and participation. Within this environment, the laundry system plays a quiet but essential role. It enables reuse, maintains hygiene and sustains the artwork’s rhythm.
For Richard Jay, contributing to this project reflects a broader capability: supplying reliable commercial laundry solutions that perform consistently, whether in aged care, hospitality, self-service laundries, or even inside one of Australia’s most ambitious contemporary art installations.
