On October 21, 2015, Sullivan Galleries hosted the first of the Taboo Subjects series in the Outside Design classroom. [Environmentioalsi…] Nance Klehm presented “Foul Odors and Loathsome Sites: a Practical Reorientation to our Waste Systems.”

Klehm discussed many of her projects including Humble Pile in which she asked friends and others throughout Chicago to “poo with her” for three months. All participants installed a dry toilet in their home and were asked to save their excrements in a large trash can. Klehm would periodically collect the waste, ultimately gathering over 1500 gallons. Although Klehm noted the waste only needs a few hours to be clear of E. coli and other germs, she attended to it for two years, then turned it into compost and returned to each participant a bag of the material made from their contributions.

Photos: Joey Asal