deply began in 2018 archiving collections of toilet paper and scans, sound recordings, and cataloged material information of toilet paper. I began collecting toilet paper by taking two squares from every roll I encountered or, when the toilet paper was not perforated into squares, two similarly sized lengths. From each pair, I scan the front of one piece and the back of the other. I then deply one of the pieces, pulling apart its individual plies and recording the sound of that deplying. I scan the exposed inside surfaces of the separated plies. The scans are presented from left to right in the order that each layer is encountered. The far-left image shows the front of the toilet paper, and the far-right image shows the back. For multi-ply toilet paper, the images between them show the interior surfaces of the plies in the order they are encountered when the toilet paper is deplied.

Alongside these scans and recordings, I document material and structural qualities of each sample, including the number of plies and whether the toilet paper is bleached, embossed, printed, or scented. When a sample is scented, I record the scent when it can be identified. When a sample is not bleached, I record its color, using the manufacturer's name for the color when that information is available. Together, these observations form a cataloging system through which each piece of toilet paper receives an identification reference. The identification reference indexes qualities that I encounter through collecting and deplying each toilet paper into a line of text. The scans record surfaces that are visible while the toilet paper is intact as well as surfaces that become accessible through deplying: the front, back, and insides of its plies. Duplicate toilet paper squares have been removed from the collection. Numerous other collectors have joined this project over time. If you wish to contribute to this project by submitting 2 squares of toilet paper, please email em for instructions.

Each identification reference begins with tp, identifying the material as toilet paper. The letters and numbers that follow record particular qualities of the sample. Additional information appears in parentheses. For toilet paper that is not bleached, the color is recorded in parentheses. For scented toilet paper, the scent is recorded in parentheses. When possible, I use the manufacturer's terminology for a color or scent. The identification ends with the measurements (inches) of the square when the toilet paper is perforated. If the toilet paper is not perforated only the width is included. For example: tpc(peach)2esc(peach)5×3.5 identifies a toilet paper (tp) that is with color (c), peach in color (peach), two-ply (2), embossed (e), peach scented (sc(peach), and 4×2.5 inches).

• tp — toilet paper

• 1, 2, 3, etc. — number of plies

• b — bleached

• nb — bleached

• c — with color

• e — embossed

• p — printed

• sc — scented