Minuscule masterpieces for World Toilet Day

18 November 2016

To celebrate World Toilet Day on 19 November, Paris-based artist Anastassia Elias has created these miniature artworks for WaterAid. These intricate creations highlight the state of city sanitation, and the 2.3 billion people - one in three of the world's population - who do not have access to a safe, private toilet.

Tokyo, Japan depicted inside a toilet roll — Image caption,
The success of cities such as London, Tokyo, Sydney and New York is in part due to the fact that they all have safe sanitation systems, which protects their inhabitants from disease.

Timbuktu, Mali depicted inside a toilet roll — Image caption,
Mali, represented here by Timbuktu, is among the worst countries in the world for providing the urban population with sanitation. In Mali’s towns and cities, more than 60% of the urban population have no access to a toilet, meaning many people have no choice but to defecate in the open.

Sydney, Australia depicted inside a toilet roll — Image caption,
Elias has chosen cities from both developing and developed countries, highlighting the fact that healthy cities are built on good sanitation.

Bogota, Colombia depicted inside a toilet roll — Image caption,
In Colombia, almost 15% of the urban population have no access to a safe private toilet.

London, UK depicted inside a toilet roll — Image caption,
Elias said: "People sometimes find it surprising that I make art out of such an ordinary, everyday household item - but I think their size and my use of perspective helps to draw people in to another world."

Agra, India depicted inside a toilet roll — Image caption,
India has 157 million people living in its towns and cities who do not have access to a toilet, making it the worst country in the world for urban sanitation. According to the UN, there are nearly 400 slums in Agra with many people living in squalor and without access to basic sanitation facilities.

New York, USA depicted inside a toilet roll — Image caption,
WaterAid’s Barbara Frost said: "The reality is that one person in every five living in a town or city today does not have access to a toilet. Not only does this lead to a lack of dignity for women and girls and health risks to poor families, this lack of sanitation also threatens the health and security of all city dwellers and leads to pollution of rivers and water sources."

Dhaka, Bangladesh depicted inside a toilet roll — Image caption,
Bangladesh ranks sixth in the world for having the greatest number of urban dwellers, living in cities such as Dhaka, without access to a toilet. Of the 700 million urban dwellers living without a toilet worldwide, 23 million of them are in Bangladesh.

All photographs courtesy of WaterAid