I like public art. I appreciate the whimsy it lends to otherwise humorless spaces. Take, for instance, this friendly giant who resides under a rather dingy underpass in our former Seattle neighborhood. A troll sculpture. Under a bridge. That’s clever! And an excellent use of awkward space.
I also enjoy the element of surprise that accompanies public art. Who would ever expect a giant typewriter eraser to come bowling down the hillside?? Or to spot the elusive Sasquatch at an urban playground pushing over a house? Certainly not me, but I’m better for knowing, thanks to some imaginative artists, that these are both possibilities.
All things public considered, my love for art is only rivaled by my love for restrooms. As a gal who likes to stay hydrated, I appreciate well-placed and well-kept public privies. I am such a strong proponent of one’s right to…powder one’s nose…that, on a survey that I recently took at the Taoyuan airport, I ranked bathroom availability and cleanliness as my top travel priorities above on-time departures and airport security.*
The long and short of it: I like public art and I like public restrooms, so you can imagine my delight when I discovered that, here in Taipei, they often combine the two! I’m not talking about the toilets themselves so much (although they do have some heated-seat models, which are very nice but a tad redundant at this time of year).
It’s the restroom signs that I adore!
While some places take a discreet approach to lavatory signage—with the philosophy, I assume, that nobody cares to draw attention to the going-ons of les toilets—Taipei Public Works embraces human need and shouts the loo’s location from the rooftops with life-sized male and female figures and flashy presentations. (Also, the women’s restroom is often done up completely in pink to ensure that you are, in fact, in the right place.)
So without further ado, I am pleased to announce the inauguration of My Tai’s first ever series:
Potty Art: Creativity in the Commode.
As part of the series, I will periodically showcase the best of Taipei’s (and surrounding areas) bathroom signage, and I am excited to unveil my first installment today!
I present to you Blue Boy and Pinkie: Disco Edition.
Did I mention that they are life-sized?
<—– That’s me next to the lady in pink
*It should be noted that, as far as I could tell, the survey did not control for the condition of respondents’ bladders at the time of administration.