Haolun Li

This is a cleaning journal that originated from a personal psychological experience when moving into a new home. It documents a series of cleaning actions triggered by the discomfort caused by stains in the living space. These stains are regarded as ‘birthmarks in my home’, persistent and uncontrollable traces that cannot be chosen. Through visual documentation and image deconstruction, the book reconstructs the process of cleaning various types of stains and explores how repeated cleaning functions on a psychological level.

In this book, cleaning is not merely the removal of dirt. It becomes a way to soothe emotional discomfort and re-establish a sense of order through repetition. Even when the stains remain, the act of wiping allows me to gradually accept their presence and believe that the space can still become mine.

By linking domestic stains to the body’s birthmarks, this project further explores the hidden connection between space and the body, perception and identity.

This project focuses on an eight-minute segment of my childhood commute to school. By breaking these eight minutes into 480 seconds, I use visual storytelling to convey the overwhelming experiences I encountered along the way, reflecting on how time is moralised within the current Chinese educational system.

This project explores the interior space of my car on my way to school. Using a visual system built around the metaphor of ‘stains’, it visualises the layered and persistent odours within the confined space. These olfactory traces serve as triggers of deeply embedded memories, shaping an intimate narrative between scent and space.