Rosaline Dou
Inkjet prints
46.8 x 33.1 inches (118.9 x 84.1 cm) each
2025
Over the course of a month (February 3–March 4, 2025), I tracked the time I spent on maintenance. A Rundown of Sub-Maintenance visualizes the daily breakdown across three categories: self-maintenance, external maintenance, and unrecorded or indeterminate time. From physical needs like eating and sleeping, to emotional and social wellbeing, to caring for our homes, pets, and even our identities. Nearly every action we take is a form of perpetual labor to preserve our essence.
Yet I observed a recurring reluctance to maintenance, often defaulting to reactive, crisis-driven repair. In a system that prioritizes worth, money, and time, consistent care feels too “expensive.” This devaluation erodes us, feeding a system that profits off our strive for optimization through the sanctioned currencies of efficiency and success.