My intro into the project was to think about the traditional use of postcards, so I googled the term and looked at the results on both Wikipedia and some dictionary sites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postcard
The thing that particularly struck me upon reading the Wiki write-up was the bit about the saucy, sea-side postcards, made famous by artists like Donald McGill.
Just as these postcards are now viewed as important documents of social history, they've apparently been an inspiration to Martin Parr, whose work I really like.
I read about Gilbert and George having used a lot of postcards in their work (mostly in connection with representations of the sex industry) and the RCA also organised the 'Secret' exhibition in 2011, where a whole range of artists and designers created an anonymous postcard sized piece of art, subsequently sold to raise money for the college. (It was only on buying the postcard that purchasers would discover who had created it).
During my research, I particularly enjoyed an English language website, showing its students how to write a postcard:
"One of the last things you hear from your friends or neighbours as you go away on holiday is 'Send us a postcard!'
It's one of those great holiday traditions, almost as 'British' as a bucket and a spade on a beach. We send postcards (often on the last day of the holiday) to tell our friends what a great time we're having.
Holiday postcards have three main characteristics. They're short, positive (even if it's raining) and predictable in their content.
Here's a quick guide to writing a postcard. Choose any one of the adjectives to complete your sentences."One of the last things you hear from your friends or neighbours as you go away on holiday is 'Send us a postcard!'
It's one of those great holiday traditions, almost as 'British' as a bucket and a spade on a beach. We send postcards (often on the last day of the holiday) to tell our friends what a great time we're having.
Holiday postcards have three main characteristics. They're short, positive (even if it's raining) and predictable in their content.
Hi (name of friend / neighbour / colleague)
We're having a great / wonderful / fantastic / fabulous time here in ……
The weather is hot / sunny / perfect and we're spending our days on the beach / sightseeing / relaxing / exploring the local area / by the pool.
The weather is hot / sunny / perfect and we're spending our days on the beach / sightseeing / relaxing / exploring the local area / by the pool.
The food is interesting / spicy / pretty good and the other people hare are (nationality), friendly / unfriendly / great.
See you on (day you get back)
Love
(your name) " http://www.english-at-home.com/business/writing-a-holiday-postcard/
(your name) " http://www.english-at-home.com/business/writing-a-holiday-postcard/
The Inspiration
Reading the above instructions made me think about the fact that postcards are generally used as quite a light-hearted form of communication; not least because what's written on the back of them can be read by anyone.
That led me to wondering about inverting the form, and using them for serious messages instead of light-hearted ones. The media have recently been reporting on a survey called the Failed States Index, and when I started googling for information, coincidentally, I found lots of the media coverage has used the title: Postcards from Hell.
The Interpretation
So, I then spent a fairly harrowing afternoon googling the top five worst countries in the world, wondering how to depict their plight using the format of a small postcard. The countries are:
1. Somalia
2. Democratic Republic of Congo
3. Sudan
4. Chad
5. Zimbabwe
And their issues are beyond belief, in terms of how much suffering is taking place on a daily basis.
Of course, in virtually all of these countries, some of the worst affected people are women. (For instance, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been called the 'Rape Capital of the World').
So I decided to narrow my focus to women in each country.
However, I still had the problem of having only a very small postcard through which to convey the message.
The Solution
For a brief moment I wondered about trying to represent each country's plight in the style of the early 1900's saucy postcards. However, I quickly decided that a/ it could not fail to be vulgar (I'm no Chris Ofili, with the chutzpa to carry something like that off), and b/ my drawing skills wouldn't be up to it.
I have a great interest in craft work, and this has always extended to looking at indigenous crafts. So I decided to look at what women traditionally produce in each of the five countries (despite having virtually no materials/facilities and being surrounded by the chaos of famine and war).
I decided that if someone sitting in the middle of a refugee camp can produce a piece of art, then surely I can replicate it in a well-equipped studio.
I found out much during the research (including that Mugabe once received a Knighthood from the Queen). I particularly liked the following site, showing South Africa in, for once, a really positive light:
And looked at some amazing images. (These tribal images are from Ethiopia, which is no. 17 on the list, so luckily wasn't relevant):
I came across lots of really good photos representing each of the five countries,
but couldn't decide how I could use them without infringing copy write. Nor could I think of a way of 'customising' them to give added value of my own.
After much research, I found the following traditional crafts for each country:
1. Somalia: embroidery
2. DR Congo: batik
3. Sudan: beading
4. Chad: cross stitch
Despite spending hours searching for something, the only thing I could find about Chad's traditional craft was the following:
"A development organization in Abéché has become well known for their cross stitched patterns of Chad and animals familiar to all Chadians. Of special note is the tightness with which the stitches are placed on these pictures. The profit from the sale of these cross stitch pictures goes to the women without husbands who do the work as a way to provide for their families."
However, despite the massive tensions within the land, I was struck by the wonderful colours in Chad (more Indian than African, I felt):
5. Zimbabwe: applique
The Method
To date, I've not yet started on making the actual cards.
I have an issue of how to show them, given that only one side will be visible at a time. I would like both sides to be seen as I would like the written side to show some bullet points about each country.
I have also considered making the cards in colours that would not necessarily be associated with the country, to make the artefacts more interesting. So, instead of the traditional brown and yellow for batik, I might use pastel colours:
You can also find more source material on my Pinterest board: http://pinterest.com/happyshed/
The Execution
It took a really, really long time, would be my first comment, and maybe I bit off more than I should have tried to chew!
Whilst laborious, the embroidery cards were fine to do, as was the applique. All of them are merely approximations of the actual craft work, but the Batik was definitely the least realistic, as I did it in Inktense pencil rather than trying to do actual dyed work.
I enjoyed the process of doing the actual craft techniques as it really made me think about the women and the conditions in which they manage to complete such beautiful work. With, I'm guessing, extremely limited equipment. It filled me with admiration for them.
As I was completing the fronts, I began considering the backs. I decided to again do an approximation of an actual postcard (hoping to avoid it becoming naff). I used photos of women from each country as the 'stamps' and put facts about the countries where the text and addresses would be. I chose photos of women carefully as I wanted to present them as strong, tough women (which they must be to live where they do). I don't like the constant stereotypical shots of starving Africans, holding their hands out (although that has begun to move on generally within the media). The only one that I chose a visibly upset woman for was the D R Congo, representing just how much women suffer in that nation.
I also then came up with the idea of putting the facts on backgrounds taken from the Financial Times. This serves to make it a bit more interesting (and makes the edges of the 'stamps' stand out better), but I also wanted to make the point that poorer/struggling countries are only considered/helped by wealthier nations if there's an economic advantage for the latter. (So perhaps Chad will be helped more than the others because of its oil).
I wasn't sure how to display it, but decided to just hand them in as they are, with amalgamated print out from the original internet story to accompany them.
Evaluation:
I am pleased overall, and think that the concept has worked well.
I think the colours of each card work reasonably well as a set and it does create something quite visually appealing, as well as intriguing.
If I was doing this as more than just a holiday piece, I would want the work on the fronts-pieces of the cards to be really beautiful and much more authentic.
I like the roughness of the printed word, I think it provides a good contrast to the more delicate craftwork.
I worry, however, that it only really works if you explain the theory behind it - what the front represents in relation to the back - and feel that this might be aspect of the finished piece needs a bit more development.
