Cleanliness is next to artyness OR the things you come across in a bathroom when you've got a camera with you.

You know what it's like ... you're out and about when you find yourself needing to use 'the facilities' so you take yourself off to the said facilities where, upon entering, you're suddenly whipping out your camera to photograph something surprising you've found there.

What do you mean you've never done such a thing?

Then I guess you haven't been to the National Centre for Craft & Design [NCCD in Sleaford] lately. Last week I opened up the door to their public loos to find this gazing back at me:

And naturally I reached into my bag for my camera!

Here's a better look at the description of The Toilet Project by Meekyoung Shin:

And, before you ask ... yes, I did wash my hands.

And yes, I did do so by using the soap sculpture.

I wet my hands first  ... then gave the top of its head a rub before lathering up!

It reminded me of ancient weather-worn Greek and Roman statues battered by the elements.

By the way, this isn't the only Toilet Project Meekyoung Shin has created, there apparently are/have been several more dotted around the UK and I'd love to hear from you if you've also been startled by a soap sculpture while doing your ablutions ...

For the record ... there's also one in the men's toilets at the NCCD [I sent James in as a roving reporter] and he duly reported back that the version in there was rather less eroded, less worn, less used, than the one I'd photographed in the ladies.

I'd rather not think too hard about the implications of this fact.

Let's all just hope that the men have been feeling more reserved about using a work of art to clean their hands and have been using the regular soap dispenser instead ...

Julie :-)