Toilet seats designed by artists and celebrities including comedian Harry Hill and singer Boy George are to be auctioned for charity WaterAid.
The Best In The House art collection, which includes a golden throne and a punk art seat, will go on display at the British Art Fair at London’s Saatchi Gallery this month.
The design by Boy George, 63, who rose to fame as the frontman of pop band Culture Club, features the words “piss and love”, while the creation by Hill, 59, includes a depiction of a horse inside a horse shoe that says “lucky toilet seat”.
Boy George said: “Royal or rocker, toilets are a great leveller because we all have to use one.
“A lot of serious thinking can be done on the throne, but can you imagine life without your toilet? That’s the reality for one in five people in the world.
“I love the concept of reimagining the toilet as a luxury, and had a lot of fun designing my own Best Seat In The House to highlight the importance of decent toilets.
“My seat is a ‘punk throne’ of defiance, with a cheeky message written inside as I like to bring humour and optimism into my art.
“It’s great to see my creation going under the hammer for WaterAid to help more people get this basic right.”
Hill said: “There’s something very British about good old-fashioned toilet humour, but my collaboration with WaterAid has made me realise that toilets are a serious business and how lucky we are to have one.
“That’s where the idea of toilets being lucky items came from, which inspired my toilet seat design, plus the fact that the seat is shaped like a horseshoe.
“They may not quite be able to ward off devils, ghosts and junk mail, as I suggest in my design, but if they can protect people from disease and keep kids in school, then they are the best seat in the house, in my book.
“And now one lucky person can get their hands on my creation and support WaterAid’s vision of toilets for all, so get bidding.”
Fashion designers Dame Zandra Rhodes and Pam Hogg are among the other people who have created designs.
Tim Wainwright, chief executive of 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.
The creations will go under the hammer between September 23 and 29 online at Givergy, and from September 26 at the fair.
