'SAVE THE PLANET!' That's the message we hear every single day. With our world enduring what many describe as a climate crisis. Every day we see PSAs, billboards, pamphlets, and even messages written on the products we buy telling us how we can do our part to help prolong the life of our planet.
From recycling to reducing our meat consumption to turning down the thermostat - all of these little acts can add up and help make a real difference. However, one thing I've always struggled to reduce is my water usage.
Sure, I use my dishwasher and washing machine on their eco settings, and sure I turn the tap off when I brush my teeth. But I just cannot give up my long hot showers.
Showers are me time. Where I can lock out the rest of the world and just relax in a confined cube of my thoughts, with nothing but the rushing water to wash away my troubles from the day. I'll be completely honest with you; I once took an hour-long shower on Christmas day as a treat!
I hold my hands up and admit I am the target audience for this incredible product.
Invented by London-based textile-based installation artist and educator Elizabeth Buecher, this remarkable inflatable shower curtain actually kicks out the person by "sprouting" spikes after the user has been in there for more than four minutes (which isn't even enough time for me to sing the entirety of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'). Buecher had submitted this as part of a series called ‘My Shower is a Green Warrior'.
Of course, the spikes don't actually hurt you - but they do make completing your shower such an inconvenient ordeal that you'll definitely be leaving as soon as possible.
The curtain "knows" when to expand thanks to a built-in sensor in the shower tap.
Buecher’s designs are part of a larger shift in the artistic community, in what is being referred to as Ecological Art - a form of art created with the purpose of making a conscious impact on environmental activism.
The shower curtain isn't currently available on the commercial market, but with enough support, here's hoping Buecher can release this incredible invention to the general public soon!
