Purity + Society = Camouflage Tiles
We brush our teeth morning and night.
We shower, we shave, we bleed.
We comb our hair.
We sit, we squat, we stand.
We cleanse ourselves and make ourselves look beautiful.
We clean, we swipe, we look in the mirror.
We are human, after all.
“There is no denying the cleanliness; every nook and corner is pure white. Yet what need is there to remind us so forcefully of the issue of our own bodies. [...] The cleanliness of what can be seen only calls up the more clearly thoughts of what cannot be seen.”
– Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, In praise of shadows, 1933
The white-tiled bathroom is often referred to as modern and hygienic. It is a room with shiny and bright surfaces, hard and cold materials that are easy to clean. With a bathroom like this, everything becomes visible. Dirt has no chance to hide.
This kind of setting is very far from our own bodies. Far from how we look, how we are built and how we behave. Our bodies are warm and bumpy, soft without any straight lines. They are not perfect, nor are we.
Camouflage Tiles is a collection of bathroom tiles embracing humanity. Inspired by what we see but don’t want to see in the bathroom. Everyday life. Our own bodies.
