Pootopia!

Artists

Kim Williams, Lucas Ihlein

Location

Various

Dates

2023-ongoing

The project brings together artists, engineers, economists and scientists to change public perceptions around human waste. We view humanure as a resource, not a problem to be flushed away. Pootopia! explores the benefits of composting human excrement: as fertiliser for sustainable food growth, as a way of saving water by using composting toilet systems, and as an alternative to pumping treated sewage into the marine environment. We acknowledge public health concerns and through research collaborations explore safe ways of managing humanure.

We began our public engagement in 2023 at the Yours and Owls Music Festival, when we built the V.I.Poo bespoke composting toilet. Punters came back for repeat visits, once they became aware that our composting toilet was vastly superior to the stinky portaloos on site. Not only were guests treated to a concierge experience, they were also paid for their efforts in Shitcoin, which could be traded for various items on offer.

In 2024, we designed a portable composting toilet that could be dismantled and taken to public events in a trailer. The Turdis had its world premiere at the Wollongong Botanic Gardens Super Saturday Plant Sale in 2024. The striking hot pink toilet attracted many satisfied users. In 2026, the artists will present The Turdis at the Cementa Festival in Kandos and at Manly Art Gallery and Museum in a KSCA survey show.