An exciting premiere took place at the McMaster University Museum of Art. For the first time the “Where Would You Hide?” exhibition was portrayed in an artistic context – side by side with a squatting sculpture called “Proof”, by British artist Antony Gormley.

The orange displays particularly caught the eyes of school children on an excursion to the museum. The children were even more surprised to find a group of “toileteers” willing to answer their questions. Members of the Canadian and German Toilet Organizations were present along with Dr. Tom Keating, one of North America’s foremost experts in school restroom improvements, who offered a spontaneous tour through the exhibition. Giggles quickly subsided as the students opened up to voice their concerns about their own school toilets. It didn’t take long for everyone to realise that talking toilets is not as strange as it first seems.

While the exhibition figures on the university campus raised awareness and directed students to the museum, possible solutions to the global sanitation crisis were discussed at an international sanitation workshop next door. The United Nations University International Network on Water, Environment and Health had invited experts from around the world to the event and brought the exhibition to Canada to highlight the International Year of Sanitation. The event also hosted the launch of the Canadian Toilet Organization.

Partners: United Nations University International Network on Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), McMaster Museum of Art, UN-Water, Canadian Toilet Organization