WORD ON THE STREETS
Word on the streets is An informative, interactive installation about the current sticker slapping culture in the Netherlands. Come and slap some stickers! Claim a piece of wall, promote something, leave reactions with other stickers, and have a deep dive in the realm of stickers.
During this graduation project, I collected a massive database of the many different stickers I could find in public spaces. Of course, many stickers are what you would expect of them. Graffiti and street artists use public space as a canvas to present their work and claim a space. Many (small and big) companies use stickers for guerrilla promotion. Activists use them to create awareness for specific topics. Football supporters leave them as a trace in locations they visit to mark their territory. However, while collecting this database, I noticed a decent amount of the stickers struck me as offensive, polarising, even dangerous.
The installation is based on a database of over 2500 different stickers found in our streets. The installation and its database provide a broad view of what stickers are out there and what cultures dominate the scene. In addition, the tool allows users to select different stickers from the collected database to paste them within the installation digitally. This way, the user can analyse and interact with the stickers outside of their usual realm: the public space.
The ‘Word on the streets’ zine informs us about potential dangers I’ve encountered during the collection of the database. Potential dangers like (alt) right-wing extremism, racism, sexism, homophobia, conspiracy theories (and other threats). The zine provides over 20 stickers and multiple tips to start stickering yourself.
The zine makes the viewer aware of certain topics and elements to be aware of – this is very insightful next to the instructions on how to sticker yourself in public space.
Claim your spot in this interactive urban artwork now!
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