Artist crafts edelweiss from old toilets at Kol Fest

At the Kol Fest festival in Bishkek, artist Dmitry Petrovsky has unveiled a striking art installation crafted entirely from discarded toilets. The piece, shaped like an edelweiss flower, aims to draw attention to the aesthetic potential of everyday objects often overlooked.

Petrovsky, part of the art group "Doxa," conceived the idea on-site after discovering about ten old toilets scattered in the grass. Initially considering transforming them into benches, he found that from an aerial view, the arrangement resembled a flower. He then assembled the sanitary ware into the form of the rare alpine plant.

"I wanted to show the aesthetics and beauty of simple things, even those that usually no one perceives as an object of art," Petrovsky told 24.kg. "From a distance, people see a beautiful, voluminous flower against a backdrop of poppies, and when they come closer, they realize it's made from used toilets."

The artist intentionally left the toilets uncleaned and unpainted, believing each item carries its own history. The installation, which currently lacks a definitive title but may be linked to the edelweiss theme, is not slated for removal after the festival and will remain a permanent fixture at the Kol Fest grounds.

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I wanted to show the aesthetics and beauty of simple things, even those that usually no one perceives as an object of art. From a distance, people see a beautiful, voluminous flower against a backdrop of poppies, and when they come closer, they realize it's made from used toilets.