The Washing Mobile

Dieter Breuer, 38, stands in the middle of a graffitti-covered courtyard before his newest artwork - an old trailer reconfigured as a "washing mobile." He offers a bandaged, grimy hand.

"I studied art, but my work at the moment is a social project - a washing mobile for the homeless. Do you have this word in English also? I call it art, because in the middle of art there is standing the human being."

Breuer happily points out the washing mobile's main features, including a 120-liter hot water tank and a pressure tank. The bathrub, ringed by small orange curtains, can be filled three times. There's a hose to tap into underground water pipes, and a full-length mirror.

"This washing machine project will start in four to six weeks, but we're having organizing delays - how to get towels, how to get drivers. I'm using a tractor, because in Germany anyone over 18 can drive a tractor without a driving license. A lot of people living outside have lost their licenses.

"I also have an exhibition in the center of Cologne - photographs from Liepzig. It's in a special kind of room, with metal on the inside and organic material on the outside. It makes you feel like a battery."

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