Off the wall: creative use of Post-It Notes in artistic practice

TY - CHAP

T1 - Off the wall

T2 - creative use of Post-It Notes in artistic practice

AU - MacDonald Vermeulen, Lindsay

AU - Biskjaer, Michael Mose

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - Post-It notes have become integral to many creative design activities, especially ideation. Despite this, the further potential of Post-It notes as a creative material has received little attention in research. Inspired by examples of ingenious appropriation of this inexpensive piece of stationery, e.g., in murals, art installations, sculptures, and Post-It wars between two opposite office towers, this chapter explores artistic, off-the-wall use of Post-It notes; literally in terms of physical context, and metaphorically as extraordinary, creative expression. Informed by research into creativity constraints and design materials, the chapter builds on analyses of interviews with two acclaimed visual artists who use Post-It notes very unconventionally in their creative processes. Two artistic strategies are discerned for taking Post-It notes off the wall: using them as a) a means of negotiating revealing, concealing, or highlighting aspects of the human body; and b) a three-dimensional sculptural material for tangible artworks. The chapter considers ideas for future research on Post-It notes as an––often ignored––creative material in artistic practice.

AB - Post-It notes have become integral to many creative design activities, especially ideation. Despite this, the further potential of Post-It notes as a creative material has received little attention in research. Inspired by examples of ingenious appropriation of this inexpensive piece of stationery, e.g., in murals, art installations, sculptures, and Post-It wars between two opposite office towers, this chapter explores artistic, off-the-wall use of Post-It notes; literally in terms of physical context, and metaphorically as extraordinary, creative expression. Informed by research into creativity constraints and design materials, the chapter builds on analyses of interviews with two acclaimed visual artists who use Post-It notes very unconventionally in their creative processes. Two artistic strategies are discerned for taking Post-It notes off the wall: using them as a) a means of negotiating revealing, concealing, or highlighting aspects of the human body; and b) a three-dimensional sculptural material for tangible artworks. The chapter considers ideas for future research on Post-It notes as an––often ignored––creative material in artistic practice.

M3 - Book chapter

SN - 978-0-12-816566-9

SP - 175

EP - 198

BT - Sticky Creativity

A2 - Christensen, Bo T.

A2 - Halskov, Kim

A2 - Klokmose, Clemens N.

PB - Academic Press

CY - London

ER -