The surreal Instagram page we didn’t know we needed has been created: @toiletsofubc.
The account has only two posts so far, both featuring reviews of washrooms on campus. The first post features the washroom in the Allard School of Law, noting cleanliness, peace and quiet, nice hand dryers and a slightly out-of-the-way location. The second features the second floor Koerner Library washroom, which has a notable stench, water-covered counters and a luxurious stall that has a shelf in it.
This seemingly topical account could have more interesting movements behind it. Similar to Marcel Duchamp’s Readymades, these pictures could serve to create art out of the everyday necessity of doing your business, simply by taking a picture of it and posting it on Instagram. The toilet has already become a surreal motif thanks to Duchamp, so this could serve to revive surreal, dadaist art right here at UBC.
Another possibility is that this is going to become the go-to washroom reviewing medium for UBC students, and it’s going to create a culture of conscious washroom use. We’ll be well informed on whether or not it’s worth it to walk the extra five minutes for a cleaner, more solitary washroom. We’ll know which ones to avoid, which ones to frequent and which ones to cherish. Will this cause the nicer ones to be more popular? Maybe. Will this cause the bad ones to be abandoned? Sure could, but that opens possibilities for cult followings.
Either way, this account has endless potential and we’re excited to see what comes of it.