Flooring The Consumer: Bathroom Blogfest '08

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Art & Shoppertainment

bathroom art at the green frog originally uploaded by kateruttr.

Today's post for Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us touches on art -- art in a quiet, introspective sort of way, and art as a loud, attention getter for Shoppertainment.

I'm a visual thinker. As a result, I see art everywhere. Visual representations force me to reconsider what I take-for-granted. They also improve many forgotten spaces or force us to acknowledge otherwise forgotten spaces.

For example, are you familiar with Spanish realist Antonio Lopez Garcia? His works were exhibited at the MFA in Boston, MA this past summer. Art Historian and critic Karen Wilkin wrote A Poet of the Commonplace for the 6/3/2008 Wall Street Journal about Lopez Garcia. In fact, the print article included a startling bathroom image titled 'Sink and Mirror' from 1967 that immediately caught my attention. It's confrontational and somewhat disturbing, with a mirror that reflects an unexpected tile wall when it's a human being that we expect. He captures the ordinary, forcing the viewer to reconsider the 'commonplace.' [Do also read Claura Lieu's Antonio Lopez Garcia at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston which includes an image of a bathroom scene.]

Having reconsidered the commonplace, imagine using it to make a statement.

Here, Stan Lee shares a statement about a certain sort of mail in A thousand words.

Or, as Kizer & Bender urge here, If you only attend one decorative toilet seat event this year …, this is the one to attend. As it is over, you might be interested in checking over the guidelines in case you ever want to hold your own event or listen to a MetroChickradio.com interview from 2/27/08. [BTW, this 2002 San Francisco Chronicle describes Toilet seat art / Decorating the throne.]

Moving on to louder, attention-getting, shoppertainment statements...

Check out - also from Kizer & Bender - File under: You just can't make this stuff up ... relating to the Modern Toilet Diner in Taipei. No surprise, it has made the news [see Toilet-themed restaurant a flash in the pan or Modern Toilet diner [including the photos] and from Cool Hunting]. According to Modern Toilet Restaurant, this is a chain of 12 considering further expansion. Hmmm.

Loud statements, though, can tire one out. Once you've gotten used to the shock value, the novelty wears off. That's when I go back to those introspective quieter statements.

And, what comes to mind is this delicious article titled Snap Beans and Carpet Tacks by Cyndeth Allison from 02/05/2008 that makes me reappreciate those forgotten spaces in my home. Yes, those ones that really do need straightening and reorganizing, but that represent a buffer zone between me and the outside world.

Interpreting all of this for you, as important as it is to have attention-getting events to raise awareness about your store and retail experience, it's important to offer thoughtful consistency that matters to your shoppers and allows you to engage in their world while enjoying yours.

The latest Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Cleaning Out Forgotten Spaces posts include:
+ From Maria Palma - Bathroom Blogfest 2008: Creative Public Restrooms
+ From Stephanie Weaver - Forgotten Spaces Day 4
+ From Elizabeth Hise - Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Art of Living
+ From Marianna Hayes - The "Family Restroom" Experience

Visit the Bathroom Blogfest Community [BBC] for Bathroom Blogfest ’08 updates: