A gaming installation created by The Collective, transforming an everyday urban irritation into a playful interactive experience that questions human expectations of order and control within shared city environments.

In cities, bird droppings are often treated as a nuisance—something out of place that should be managed, controlled, or eliminated. Toilet Training approaches this irritation with humour, questioning the assumption that animals ought to adapt their behaviour to fit human-designed systems.

By turning the act of “cleaning up” into a game, the work highlights the absurdity of expecting wildlife to follow social rules that were never meant for them. The installation reframes frustration as a moment of self-reflection, asking where responsibility truly lies in shared urban spaces. If cities are habitats occupied by many species, then the question shifts from correction to coexistence—and from enforcement to design.

     

 

Interactivity
Participants sit on a full-scale toilet that functions simultaneously as seating, interface, and sculptural object. The physical setup intentionally recreates the bodily posture of using a public toilet, embedding familiarity and discomfort directly into the experience.
During gameplay, players move the toilet, attempting to catch bird droppings that fall unpredictably from above. As droppings accumulate, the system reaches capacity and the game halts. Progress can only resume once the player activates the “flush” button, transforming a routine action into a critical control mechanism. This game mirrors the ongoing negotiation between control and acceptance that defines human–wildlife relationships in dense urban settings.

Creation
The Collective

Graffiti
DREAMS