Kitty’s Launderette, a much-loved launderette in the heart of Liverpool, is preparing to unveil its very first photography exhibition, celebrating the unique atmosphere of the space and the vibrant community that surrounds it.
Located just 500 yards from Liverpool FC’s iconic Anfield Stadium, the launderette will host Kitty’s After Dark—an evocative new series by Kayleigh Walmsley—alongside fresh images from the People of Anfield project, which features unseen photographs contributed by local residents and neighbours.
People of Anfield began as an artist residency commissioned by Culture Liverpool and Open Eye Gallery and previously culminated in The Flowers Still Grow, an exhibition at Open Eye Gallery. Echoing that earlier work, the new display will open in Kitty’s outdoor courtyard on Friday 13 June, with a mix of familiar and brand-new pieces. Highlights from the project can also be seen on hoardings around the Liverpool FC ground.
Inside the launderette, Walmsley’s Kitty’s After Dark captures the interplay of light, space, and connection within the community space. The collection marks a first for both Kayleigh—Kitty’s Events Lead and Co-op Laundry Worker—and the launderette itself, which was founded as a community cooperative to help tackle hygiene poverty and social isolation.
Kayleigh, 37, studied fashion design and later discovered her passion for photography after becoming a mother to her daughter, Edie. Inspired by the themes of motherhood and daily life, she went on to study photography at Liverpool College.
Named after Kitty Wilkinson—an Irish immigrant hailed as the founder of the UK’s wash house movement—Kitty’s Launderette was a central part of the People of Anfield project. The launderette hosted creative writing and photography workshops led by writer Pauline Rowe and photographer Emma Case, with residents co-producing much of the work on display.
The project also collaborated with a range of local organisations including Homebaked CLT, Liverpool Lighthouse, Anfield Improvement District, and Pinehurst Primary School.
The project, which is part of Culture Liverpool’s Creative Neighbourhooods programme, included a collection of poems inspired by the creative writing workshops, which can be read here, and a short film ‘Terraces‘, exploring the local built and natural environment, shared through the voices of Anfield, which can be viewed here.
Thanks to funding from the Communities Together Fund, Open Eye Gallery will continue developing the People of Anfield project in partnership with the community.
Local residents are warmly invited to the exhibition launch at Kitty’s Launderette on Friday 13 June, from 6pm to 9pm. To attend, please RSVP to pauline@openeye.org.uk.
Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Health and Wellbeing, Councillor Harry Doyle, said:
“Following the success of The Flowers Still Grow at Open Eye Gallery, which showcased the passion and pride of Anfield residents to visitors and those living and working in the city, the People of Anfield is coming home.
“Kitty’s is so much more than a launderette and dry cleaners. As an accessible social space for people to gather, talk and learn, it embodies the ethos of Creative Neighbourhoods. So it is fitting that it not only hosts the next iteration of People of Anfield but also has its own exhibition, encouraging people to look at the familiar community hub in a different light.”
Sophie Mahon, Head of Social Practice, Open Eye Gallery, said:
“Working closely and on a long term basis with communities and partners across Liverpool is integral to the work we do at Open Eye Gallery and the People of Anfield project is a brilliant example of what can happen when communities are given a platform to tell their own stories, in their own way.”
Photographer Kayleigh Walmsley, a former Anfield Community Comprehensive School pupil, said:
“When I became a mother, I found a new love for photography. I became obsessed with taking pictures of my daughter. I’ve always had an eye for image making but this new life changing experience is what really grew my interest. My past projects have been about the renewal of life after giving birth and that’s what inspired me with this creative outlet.
“Working at Kitty’s gave me the opportunity to develop my project ‘Kitty’s After Dark’ in collaboration with the people of Anfield, who I have worked alongside. My aim was to capture a sense of space and community within my local area. My intention with this series was to focus on the emphasis of space and low lighting to create an ominous style throughout, that leaves the viewers intrigued and inspired to visit.”
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