Opposite left: Poo
Gem, a dodecahedron
object that can be a
paperweight or a toy,
is made with fully sani-
tized and resin-molded
horse dung.
Opposite right: The
Deer Head candleholder,
another example of
Gardiner’s work with
horse dung, is fitted
with brass.
Left: A diagram show-
ing how human waste
collected in the waterless
toilet can be transferred
to a biogester where it is
transformed into meth-
ane gas.
Below: Prototype
of
g c h 4 ,
the waterless
toilet made of horse
dung designed to create
an urban infrastructure
in which people trade
waste for biofuel.
makes a huge foam. It takes about two-and-
a-half weeks to harden. When I made the
toilet for my show, I had to de-mold it after
two days. It did not release well. I had to
make a lot of repairs.”
For the time being, Gardiner’s waste-
based objects serve as fund-raising efforts
as she works on getting her waterless toilet
into the developing world and the market-
place. But she is still interested in the possi-
bilities of utilizing waste in future work.
“I could have used human waste, but I had
to draw a line somewhere,” she says.
Those repelled by the idea of excrement
as art may not be impressed that Gardiner
is joining a fine-arts tradition stretching
from Pierre Manzoni’s canned excrement
to Chris Ofili’s elephant dung paintings
that so offended Rudy Giuliani. But if put-
ting her in such company raises awareness
of her sanitation work, all the better. +
Gimme More!
excrextra.com
gardinerch4.c0m
For complete mold recipe visit
americancraftmag.org.
How to Mold Poop
1.
Make your mold.
Suspend your object in
a container, and mix
silicon parts A+B. Put
the mixture in a vacuum
chamber. Pour into the
container. Let it cure.
2. Cut the object out.
3. Get your poo.
4. Dry your poo.
Spread it out on a tray
and bake it for 4 hours
at 300 degrees farenheit.
It smells just like what
it is—baking horseshit.
5. Powder your poo -
this takes a while and
is a total pain.
6. Prepare your work-
space .You need your
mold, duct tape, rubber
gloves, a scale, a vacuum
chamber, two buckets
and Bioresin.
7. The resin hardens
partially in 48 hours,
fully in about 2 weeks.
Mix the poo with
the resin, then add the
hardener. Mix until
your arms hurt and you
can’t carry on any more.
8. The result is like
a thick fruitcake mix.
Pack it hard into the
mold, all the way in.
Tape the mold cracks
and tape a piece of ply-
wood over the opening.
9. Wait 48 hours.
10. De-mold!
apr/maj'09 american craft 033
