There is this couch. Anyone who spends anytime on the 2nd floor of the HFAC knows about this couch, well if you're of the female gender that is because it is in the girl's bathroom. The couch has been there for at least five years because it was there when I started at BYU, but I'm sure that it has been there much longer than that.
To me it is a couch, a giant disease really. . .
and a studio prop (one time I took it out and carried it to the studio and photographed my friend on it and then carried it back, I felt like I needed to immediately scrub all areas of my clothes and body that it touched).
Even though I find it disgusting and try to avoid even sitting on it, this is not the common trend. Over the years, I have noticed people using the couch for a variety of purposes. So for this project I decided that I was going to see exactly what this couch is to other people. I would for two weeks go into the bathroom every hour or so while I was working on the 2nd floor, so three days a week, and take notes of what I saw.
Day 1
8:13 am
nothing. boring start.
9:20 am
girl is sitting on the couch doing her makeup.
10:04
girl is laying on couch and studying what looks like music for a play.
11:11
horrible stench. can't bear to stay in there. bathroom appears to be empty though.
12:01
girl is eating a hamburger. why eat lunch in a bathroom?
Day 2
8:05
girl is changing her clothes with her clothes spread out over the couch.
9:09
girl sitting on the couch brushing her teeth.
10:01
couch is empty. someone is in one of the stalls singing a church hymn.
11:04
girl filling out a job application.
12:15
mom is changing her baby's diaper on the couch.
Day 3
12:00
couch is empty.
1:03
girl is crying on the couch. I hurry and leave.
2:10
girl is sleeping on the couch.
3:06
girl is still sleeping on couch.
4:08
couch is empty.
Day 4
8:13
couch is empty. who comes to school this early anyway?
8:53
couch is covered in backpacks, presumably belonging to the people using the bathroom.
10:07
girl is studying art history book.
11:23
girl is taking up the entire couch while sleeping on it. another girl is on floor next to couch sleeping too!
12:00
I forgot to go into the bathroom for this hour.
Day 5
8:10
one backpack on couch.
9:01
girl is sitting on couch changing her shoes.
10:13
couch is empty.
11:28
girl is giving another girl a mary kay facial on the couch. What?!
12:03
mary kay facial looks like it is coming to an end.
Day 6
4:04
girl is studying on the couch with feet up on the arm rest with no shoes and socks. her feet smell worse than anything I have ever smelled. I am struggling not to gag. why would you have your shoes off if you knew that your feet stunk so much. does she not know?
5:09
couch is empty.
6:00
couch is still empty.
7:14
two girls are changing their costumes for a dress rehearsal.
8:09
couch is covered in costumes. it appears to have become the dressing room for the rehearsal that is going on.
The couch is clearly more than just a couch or a giant disease, actually the cleanliness of it doesn't really seem to be an issue to most. The couch is a bed, a changing table, a meeting place, and so much more. It holds a different purpose to everyone.
note: the photos used in this post are reenactments of what was seen during this experiment
Changing table becomes bed?? That's gross. Haha. The girl sleeping on the floor next to the couch...that's just too good. You must have busted up when you saw that. And a hamburger in the bathroom?? That's just wrong. Good project.
ReplyDeleteNice. I like the first photograph of just the couch in the bathroom and then as a studio prop before all the others. Interesting concept that especially relates to students. I had to laugh about the hymn-singing in the stalls, because I've heard that numerous times and it still weirds me out.
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