'Architectural recycling': Public toilet in Ooty converted to 'art gallery' with a library

A community worker is earning laurels for transforming a derelict, abandoned public washroom building into a creative art gallery with a quirky little library for the locals in the state of Ooty. In an initiative to encourage art and culture and inspire the local community to read books, IAS officer Supriya Sahu launched ‘Gallery OneTwo’ with the help of resources that she independently accumulated, and used the structure’s materiality to change it into a recreational public hangout.

The contemporary art gallery features eye-catching modern-day artwork as an iconic example of a re-purposed building complex into something creative and useful. Sharing the footage of the art gallery on her Twitter account, Sahu wrote that the centre can be imitated by other local bodies to draw community people to participate in cultural and artistic indulgences. 

“An unused toilet building in Ooty has been converted into an Art exhibition centre,” IAS officer Sahu informed in the caption of nearly a minute video. She further wrote that the building structure was unused for over several years, and therefore, she resorts to converting it into a beautiful art hub. The new gallery, which was originally a dilapidated public toilet, is now an ultimate exhibit of inspirational art pieces that are displayed on the walls for the public view. 

Sahu further notified that the local municipal corporation had constructed a separate public toilet in the vicinity to avoid inconvenience to the people. In the footage, the locals can be seen visiting the art gallery which is painted with vibrant colours, catchy liners, and graffiti on the wall and extraordinary decor in one of the fine creative conversion. The initiative serves as an example of community architectural recycling. 

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Internet acknowledges 'creative efforts'

The footage was viewed by over 2.1k audience on the internet, with each acknowledging the community worker’s efforts and her vision. “So nice and brings a positive change. I always feel there needs to be will to make such small interventions to bring a positive change in urban areas, Tier 1, Tier 2 cities led by IAS officers along with admin and citizens,” a commenter said. Another admired the gallery, saying, “When the mind space creatively connects with an abandoned space, creativity is found.”

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