Art+Design
5vie event
physical event
From Japan to Milan: The Tokyo Toilet brings the concept of omotenashi from the Land of the Rising Sun to Milan and redefines the perception of public toilets.
A public restroom that overturns clichés and completely redefines the perception of it, with an exhibition in Triennale Milano, a specially designed toilet paper, and shots by photography great Daidō Moriyama.
These are just a few of the ingredients of "The Tokyo Toilet / Milan" project, which will bring to Milan Design Week all the spirit of omotenashi, the sense of hospitality deeply rooted in Japanese culture: a discreet but open attention to differences, sober and subdued, sometimes imperceptible but constituting one of the most profound and dense aspects of Japanese society.
Public toilets, perhaps the smallest work of public architecture, are part of everyone's daily life, almost always perceived with a negative and repelling connotation: dirty, unsafe, not accessible, difficult to place.
This is an issue that is part of a broader context, related to the health and welcoming status of cities, which design is increasingly addressing in different parts of the world.
The Tokyo Toilet project was born in connection with the 2020 Olympics, out of a reflection on these issues, a strong sense of empathy, and a desire to find a solution for welcoming and functional environments. It is a new concept for public restrooms, putting the utmost creativity and talent at their service.
The goal is to transform them into symbolic, comfortable places to take care of together with the community, completely revolutionizing their perception.
To develop the original project, for the city of Tokyo, 16 creative designers were involved, who came up with 17 public restrooms that were then placed in the Shibuya district, transforming these facilities into welcoming, alternative spaces and achieving a significant impact on the daily lives of citizens. Among the designers involved are such names as Shigeru Ban, who created the famous transparent-walled bathroom, Toyo Ito, Kengo Kuma, Tadao Ando, Nao Tamura and many others.
The Tokyo Toilet - TTT / Milan
After the great success and interest generated by the public toilets in Shibuya, the project arrives in Milan on the occasion of Milan Design Week 2022.
In a city with an international soul, which has established itself in recent years as a crossroads of economic but above all cultural exchange, TTT's challenge is to change the minds - of the Milanese, design enthusiasts and the Design Week audience - about public toilets.
It is a major challenge, starting with a bathroom installed in the Duomo subway station, designed by SKWAT, a Tokyo-based artist collective, in collaboration with graphic designer Satoshi Machiguchi and Daidō Moriyama, one of the leading exponents of Japanese street photography, known worldwide and particularly sensitive to issues of life in big cities.
His shots, reproduced in large size and distributed at different points with the aim of engaging and conveying the inspiration behind the project, will guide passers-by to discover the concept of The Tokyo Toilet and experience the public bathroom at the Duomo subway station, created together with ATM manager of Milan's public transport service.
The Tokyo Toilet will also be the protagonist of an exhibition at the Milan Triennale, where Tokyo's public toilets will be represented with a hybrid installation halfway between Art and Design, together with Moriyama's work, his particular vision of the urban dimension, and his unusual and provocative style. It will be one more opportunity to learn about Japanese culture and the traits that unite daily life in cities around the world, in an ideal relay between Tokyo and Milan.
"The Tokyo Toilet / Milan" involves the complete renovation of the public toilets at the Duomo subway station, which will be donated to the city of Milan and will feature an art exhibition with Moriyama's photographs throughout Design Week. The project was developed in collaboration with sanitaryware manufacturer TOTO, known in Japan and around the world for the highest standards of technology and functionality. This equipment will be donated to the City of Milan.
To complete the project, a special installation will be presented in the UNIQLO store that will make the concept of The Tokyo Toilet and the Japanese culture of hospitality and cleanliness visible and immediately understandable, both with dedicated showcases that can also engage passersby, and with set-ups in the spaces and in the indoor garden.
In short, the new, unexpected, unmissable "place to be" at the upcoming Fuorisalone will be a public bathroom.
