Flush with creativity: Dame Zandra Rhodes and Val Garland launch WaterAid’s Best Seat in the House auction at the British Art Fair
Download photosVisit the auction siteDame Zandra Rhodes, Val Garland, Sophie Tea, Kelvin Okafor, Charlotte Colbert Nettie Wakefield were among the artists and celebs who launched WaterAid’s quirky Best Seat in the House exhibition and auction at the British Art Fair at the Saatchi Gallery last night.
This unique collection features toilet seat art created by 25 fashion designers, artists and celebrities including Boy George, Dame Zandra Rhodes, Harry Hill, Pam Hogg, Martin Parr and Val Garland.
The public can now get their hands on a fabulous one-of-a-kind piece, such as a golden throne to a lucky toilet seat, by bidding in the auction by 29 September at the fair or online now at wateraid.org/bestseat.
One in five people worldwide don’t have a decent toilet of their own, affecting people’s health, dignity, education and livelihoods. All proceeds from the auction will support WaterAid's work alongside communities worldwide to make sure they have clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene, meaning people can stay healthy and thrive.
Dame Zandra Rhodes, who famously designed garments for Diana, Princess of Wales and rock star Freddie Mercury, has added a touch of style and beauty to the humble toilet seat.
Dame Zandra said:
“It’s been fabulous teaming up with WaterAid to bring a splash of luxury to the humble loo and raise awareness of the importance of good sanitation. I draped my toilet seat in rich, blue silk organza, which has one of my archive prints ‘Chinese Water Circles’ printed onto it, to emulate water, creating perfect waves and golden swirls.
“Through auctioning the toilet seat art, we are helping raise vital funds to support WaterAid’s work to help ensure toilets are not a luxury that is out of reach for some, but a basic right that is available to all.”
Val Garland, make-up artist and Glow Up judge, decorated her ‘Let’s Get Lippy’ in vivid red satin fabric lips, giving the humble toilet a glamorous makeover and inviting people to get talking about toilets.
Val said:
“I want the shocking fact that one in five people don’t have a toilet to be on everyone’s lips. So, I took the idea of lips as the basis of my toilet seat design to get people talking about this vital issue. Not having a decent toilet impacts particularly on women and girls; that’s why I am supporting WaterAid’s vision that everyone, everywhere should have access to this basic human right.
“My toilet artwork is now up for auction, and I hope that it can raise awareness and funds for WaterAid’s work around the world. Let’s all talk toilets and make a change!”
Harry Hill, Ozwald Boateng, Martin Parr, Pure Evil, Sophie Tea and Hayden Kays have also given the ‘Best Seat in the House’ a special splash of luxury, using art to challenge taboos and spark conversations about toilets.
Tim Wainwright, Chief Executive at WaterAid, said:
“These fun and striking toilet seat creations are a great way of bringing toilets into the conversation and conveying the message the everyone, everywhere, should have access to a decent toilet. It’s easy to take toilets for granted, but together with clean water and good hygiene, they can save lives.
“Having decent toilets can transform whole communities, helping stop the spread of disease, keep girls in school and improve people’s safety and dignity. All proceeds from the auction will help get clean water, toilets and good hygiene to schools and communities around the world, helping change more lives for good.”
Best Seat in the House originated from a collaboration between WaterAid and photographer Rankin, whose agency photographed the collection to help raise awareness of the global sanitation crisis.
This is the third year of a charity partnership between WaterAid and The British Art Fair, which runs from 26 to 29 September at Saatchi Gallery and will feature the toilet artworks for one last time before they go to their new homes.
ENDS
Download photos: https://wateraid.assetbank-server.com/assetbank-wateraid/images/assetbox/c53a78ca-7e51-41f5-b4d6-6ea37949a19c/assetbox.html
Visit the auction site: https://uk.givergy.com/best-seat
For more information, please contact: Laura Crowley, PR Manager, [email protected], 020 7793 4965. Or call our after-hours press line on +44 (0)7887 521 552, or email [email protected].
Notes to editors
The artists involved are:
- Bambi
- Boy George
- Carrie Reichardt
- Charlotte Colbert
- Chila Burman
- Daisy Collingridge
- George Morton-Clark
- Gina Soden
- Harry Hill
- Haseebah Ali
- Hayden Kays
- Jessica Albarn
- Joe Sweeney
- Liaqat Rasul
- Martin Parr
- Nettie Wakefield
- Ozwald Boateng
- Pam Hogg
- Pure Evil
- Roo Dhissou
- Seema Mattu
- Soozy Lipsey
- Sophie Tea
- Val Garland
- Dame Zandra Rhodes
About WaterAid
WaterAid is an international not-for-profit determined to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. We work alongside communities in 22 countries to secure these three essentials that transform people’s lives. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 28 million people with clean water and nearly 29 million people with decent toilets.
For more information, visit our website wateraid.org/uk; follow us on Twitter @WaterAidUK, @WaterAid or @WaterAidPress; or find us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.
- 703 million people in the world – almost one in ten – don’t have clean water close to home.
- 2.2 billion people in the world – more than one in four – don’t have safe water.
- Almost 2 billion people in the world – one in four – lack soap and/or water to wash their hands at home, if they have a place at all.
- 1.5 billion people in the world – almost one in five – don’t have a decent toilet of their own.
- 570 million people in the world – 1 in 14 – have a decent toilet but have to share it with people outside their family. This compromises the privacy, dignity and safety of women and girls.1
- Almost 400,000 children under five die every year due to diseases caused by unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. That's more than 1000 children a day, or almost one child every one and a half minutes.2
- Investing in safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene services provides up to 21 times more value than it costs.3
1: WHO/UNICEF (2023), Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2022: special focus on gender (accessed 11 Jul 2023)
2: WHO (2023), Burden of disease attributable to unsafe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene: 2019 update (accessed 24 Jul 2023)
3: WaterAid (2021), Mission-critical: Invest in water, sanitation and hygiene for a healthy and green economic recovery (accessed 1 Nov 2023).
