From run-down gas stations to ordinary supermarkets and restaurants, Welch meticulously collects restrooms from around the world. Soap dispensers and trash cans, crude graffiti scrawled across tiles, mysterious objects left behind by strangers—all are preserved in vivid detail. Each scan becomes a snapshot of human presence: the Cuban Shack in Brooklyn, Dutch's in Poland, tagged with date and location. The archive expands one scan at a time, mapping a network of intimate, public chambers.
Following Welch's gaze into these spaces reveals something unexpected. The narrow, seemingly solitary room we enter is, in fact, thick with the traces of countless others. A crack in the tile, a bag hung on the door—all evidence of lives briefly passing through. These details accumulate, turning the mundane into a collective portrait.
Welch's work goes beyond documentation. In restrooms—a space universal yet rarely examined—he uncovers a shared human vulnerability and honesty. What did the restroom you stepped into today look like?
FAQ
What is Jake Welch's 'The Restroom Archive'?
'The Restroom Archive' is a series by artist Jake Welch who 3D scans public restrooms worldwide using his phone. He preserves toilets from gas stations, supermarkets, restaurants and more as spatial data, documenting human traces from soap dispenser placements to wall graffiti and forgotten belongings.
How does Jake Welch document these restrooms?
Jake Welch uses his phone's 3D scanner to capture public restrooms. Each bathroom is archived with date and location tags, preserving spaces from Brooklyn's 'Cuban Shack' to Poland's 'Duchess' as three-dimensional data accessible for viewing.
Why did Jake Welch choose restrooms as his subject?
Because restrooms are simultaneously the most private and most public spaces. Welch believes these utterly mundane yet never seriously examined spaces reveal humanity's shared vulnerability and honesty. His work shows how many traces strangers leave in cramped spaces we pass through daily.
