| "Don’t Miss a Sec" Public Toilet Made of Mirror Glass |
“I think there’d be a twinge of not believing that people outside couldn’t see you,” said Jeff
Boloten, as he peered into the glass cube to see the metal prison toilet and its transparent
walls.
As museum-goers inquisitively press their noses to the reflective glass, and construction
workers mill about, it isn't difficult to see why people would feel uneasy about using the glass
outhouse.
Playing with the idea of the most private bodily function and having to sit on a street corner is
just bizarre,” said Boloten, who works at the Tate Britain.
“The construction site makes it interesting because portable toilets are at construction sites all
the time, but, the Tate Britain’s a respected institution; the juxtaposition makes it more unique,”
he said.
Far from testing the viewers’ levels of embarrassment versus exhibitionism, the artist, Italian-
born Monica Bonvicini, conceived of the idea while watching people at art openings. Amid the
gossip and pageantry, nobody wanted to leave the room for fear of missing a key entrance or
comment. The "Don’t Miss A Sec" exhibit -- which was unveiled in December -- reflects peoples’
reluctance to leave the spectacle, and allows the art-goer to remain in the action, even while on
the toilet.
While some viewers meditate on the exhibit’s psychological and cultural implications others
revert to telling potty jokes.
The Glass enclosed Toilet is now on display in Switzerland.
Bonvicini was born 1965 in Venice, Italy. The artist lives and works in Berlin and Los Angeles.
Boloten, as he peered into the glass cube to see the metal prison toilet and its transparent
walls.
As museum-goers inquisitively press their noses to the reflective glass, and construction
workers mill about, it isn't difficult to see why people would feel uneasy about using the glass
outhouse.
Playing with the idea of the most private bodily function and having to sit on a street corner is
just bizarre,” said Boloten, who works at the Tate Britain.
“The construction site makes it interesting because portable toilets are at construction sites all
the time, but, the Tate Britain’s a respected institution; the juxtaposition makes it more unique,”
he said.
Far from testing the viewers’ levels of embarrassment versus exhibitionism, the artist, Italian-
born Monica Bonvicini, conceived of the idea while watching people at art openings. Amid the
gossip and pageantry, nobody wanted to leave the room for fear of missing a key entrance or
comment. The "Don’t Miss A Sec" exhibit -- which was unveiled in December -- reflects peoples’
reluctance to leave the spectacle, and allows the art-goer to remain in the action, even while on
the toilet.
While some viewers meditate on the exhibit’s psychological and cultural implications others
revert to telling potty jokes.
The Glass enclosed Toilet is now on display in Switzerland.
Bonvicini was born 1965 in Venice, Italy. The artist lives and works in Berlin and Los Angeles.
This toilet, called "Don’t Miss a
Sec," was first shown in
December, 2003 by conceptual
artist Monica Bonvicini. "Don’t
Miss a Sec," is an art exhibit of a
usable sterile prison toilet and
sink unit enclosed in a cube of
one-way glass was first seen
across the road from London's
Tate Britain Museum. The
person inside the outhouse can
see passersby while remaining
invisible to them. . The
contemporary art exhibit, which
allows the user to see out while
passers-by cannot peep in, toys
with the concepts of privacy and
voyeurism.
Sec," was first shown in
December, 2003 by conceptual
artist Monica Bonvicini. "Don’t
Miss a Sec," is an art exhibit of a
usable sterile prison toilet and
sink unit enclosed in a cube of
one-way glass was first seen
across the road from London's
Tate Britain Museum. The
person inside the outhouse can
see passersby while remaining
invisible to them. . The
contemporary art exhibit, which
allows the user to see out while
passers-by cannot peep in, toys
with the concepts of privacy and
voyeurism.
