In the framework of the portfolio course Holly Baker has done public interventions via Instagram and various stickers in different districts of Berlin.
Fuck Off Berlin (Pretty Bad Words), July 2016 – present
Pigment ink pen, sticker paper, paper, Instagram, urban landscapes. Dimensions: 8 x 4 cm (sticker), A3 paper
“What is a bad word? Is it the letter make up of each word that makes it so harsh? Is it the sound or visual of the swear word? The more we say each word, the less meaning it has.
Swear words e.g. fuck, shit etc. are so accepted in today’s society, in every language and country, that we have become immune to their effects. This is not said for all. We forget what effect these words have on different people who have had different life experiences, different upbringings.
By using readily available tool like my own handwriting (which has a certain calligraphic element to it), Instagram and my urban surroundings I will explore whether these offensive words change for the viewer because of their aesthetically pleasing nature. Documentation will be done through pictures posted on Instagram to reach a wider audience. By posting stickers of these words around the city, I hope to further include and interact with the general public by including the hashtag fuckoffberlin so that the audience can report their findings through the social media platform.
I will continue to explore this “action/reaction” through different mediums such as audio, video, through nature and many other materials.” (Holly Baker)
More information on her FUCKOFFBERLIN Instagram account.
