More than 50 international designers, from Martino Gamper to Playlab, have shared their take on the toilet paper dispenser as part of an exhibition at Marta gallery in Los Angeles. Here, the curators pick their ten favourite pieces from the show.
Called Under/Over, the exhibition is on show until 1 November and hopes to draw attention to the toilet roll holder as an overlooked and underappreciated household item.
"Almost anyone could design a toilet paper holder"
"Like so many Western products related to the body ? goods made on behalf of bowel movements, reproductive health or sexual health ? there is a ludicrous, puritanical, nearly-taboo association with speaking openly about toilet paper, let alone designing thoughtfully on its behalf," said Heidi Korsavong, who curated the show and founded Marta alongside Benjamin Critton. "More often than not, toilet roll holders are lumped in with other bathroom hardware to form so-called 'bathroom suites'. Rarely are they designed autonomously or independently and, in a way, they are almost always an afterthought."
The exhibition features works by more than 50 designers
For the Under/Over exhibition, Marta partnered with Plant Paper, a start-up producing toilet paper that is made from fast-growing, FSC-certified bamboo and which the company claims is free of harmful chemicals.
This is used as the cherry on top to decorate the menagerie of eclectic toilet roll holders that are on display as part of the s...