A surprising exhibition that will take visitors on an unexpected journey into the environmental and social issues surrounding human waste.
Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste invites visitors to reflect beyond their preconceptions and discover every facet of one of the world’s most misunderstood, limitless resources – human waste. With its audacious, fun, and engaging approach to an important topic with global impacts, the exhibition begs the question, “Does human waste have to be wasted?”, and invites museum-goers to gain new insight on the importance of this universal organic matter.
The exhibition has learning opportunities for all ages offering interactive experiences and discovery that raises awareness and sparks conversations on our individual and collective relationship with human waste.
Exhibition Highlights
- Discover innovative ways in which human waste is being re-used as a sustainable resource.
- Gain insight into waste management and sanitation issues both at home and around the world.
- Explore Planet Toilets, and discover toilets spanning from ancient Rome to modern Japan.
- Learn about your gut health with the Bristol Stool Chart.
- Test your skills in the CACArcade - an arcade designed with poop in mind!
- See over 200 unusual objects, collector’s pieces, ancient archives and contemporary items.
- Leave a souvenir of your visit in the fart room, gas analysis included!
Explore the Exhibition
Image gallery
Transcript
| Audio | Visual |
|---|---|
|
Text on screen: Is Ottawa flush with knowledge? A countdown from 5 is overlayed on footage of various children holding and clapping a film slate |
|
| Text on screen: What material are some artists using to make new kinds of art? | |
| Man: I don't know. | A man in a blue hoodie sits in front of a white screen |
| Woman: Oh, what is it called, what is it called? | A woman in a pink hoodie |
| Child: Paint! | A child in a shirt with a dump truck graphic |
| Child: Sticks? | |
| Child: Glue? | A child in a shirt with a mountain graphic taps his fingers on his chin |
| Man: Organic material? | A man in a winter jacket |
| Child: Garbage? | A child in a galaxy-print sweatshirt |
| Woman: "Human teeth" popped into my head. | A woman waves her hands around while talking |
| Woman: I have no idea! | A woman in a white scarf |
| Text on screen: What are engineers starting to use to make houses? | |
| Two girls: Uh… | Two girls stand beside each other in front of a white backdrop |
| Child: Um... | A child in a yellow shirt |
| Child: Wood? | A child in a black hoodie |
| Man: Hemp. | A bearded man in a hockey jersey |
| Girl: Clay? | A young girl in a white hoodie |
| Boy: Some houses are made out of bricks. | A young boy in a striped sweater |
| Two boys: Concrete. | Two boys stand beside each other |
| Girl: Um... Henry! | A young girl sits on the chair and points at her older brother standing beside her |
| Text on screen: “Henry!” with an arrow pointing to the older brother | |
| Text on screen: What renewable energy can be used to make some cars run? | |
| Woman: Uh, could be... | A woman in a winter coat |
| Woman with baby: Um... | A woman holds a baby |
| Child: Vegetables? | A child in a tie-dye t-shirt |
| Man with toddler: Hydrogen? | A man holding a toddler |
| Child: I don't know, like, lava or something? | A child in a peach hoodie |
| Child: Insects. | A child in a blue camo sweater |
| Woman: Algae? | A woman in a grey sweater |
| Woman: Grass. | A woman in a sports shirt |
| Man: Do I get to call someone? | A man in a white hoodie |
| Text on screen: Poop. | |
| Quick shots of the man in the winter jacket and the woman holding a baby laughing | |
| Girl: Huh? | The young girl in the white hoodie looks confused |
| Child: Weird. | A child in a black and grey shirt |
| Woman: Poop? | A woman in a shirt that says “USA” laughing |
| Quick shots of a man holding his daughter’s shoulders, a man in a white polo shirt and the man in the blue hoodie laughing | |
| Woman: Wow! Poop. Okay. | The woman in the winter coat |
| Woman: Poop? | The woman with the white scarf laughs |
| Quick shots of children laughing; one child slaps her forehead | |
| Boy: Wait, cut that out, wait— | Two boys stand beside each other, one waving his hands at the camera |
| Woman: Poop? | The woman in the pink hoodie covers her mouth |
| A woman in a beige cardigan covers her mouth with both hands and laughs | |
| First child: Wait — but why poop? | Two children in plaid stand in front of the white screen |
| Second child: No. | Cut to a wide shot of the children in plaid, showing the Canada Science and Technology Museum behind the while backdrop |
| Text on screen: No. | |
| A graphic of an illustrated poop on top of a blueprint grid Text on screen: Oh Crap! Rethinking Human Waste | |
|
A blueprint grid with text on top Text on screen: At the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa Developed by: Musée de la civilisation de Québec Ingenium logo |
Oh Crap! App
Introducing our new app, Oh Crap! On the Trail of the Golden Poops - a scavenger hunt in the heart of downtown Ottawa. Take a short walking tour in the city while learning about the fascinating, yet taboo subject of human waste. Answer questions and enjoy fun augmented reality experiences for a chance to win tickets to the Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste exhibition.
We love photos shared by our visitors. Share your Oh Crap! photos with us here!
Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste exhibition was curated and developed by the Musée de la civilisation du Québec.
Presented by Bonterra, manufactured by Kruger Products:
