I want my work to show the gritty, sinister truth that lies beneath Tart Cards as many women were trafficked in the sex industry and even though Tart Cards are playful and witty there is a dark underlying truth to them. Which is what I want my work to show as I'm trying to highlight the dark truth behind slang terms and euphemisms.
In a way, Tart Cards are Guerrilla Art as they are unauthorised displays of artwork (graphic designs) left in public places anonymously.
Guerrilla Art:
Guerrilla began as a small underground movement starting in the 1980s, often used to make a political statement, but sometimes, its intent is specifically to encourage pedestrians to to notice of their surrounding environment.
Reasons to create Guerrilla Art include statement making, sharing of ideas, the desire to send out messages of hope or just for the public to enjoy. It is a way for an artist to express their views and opinions to a large audience in an anonymous way.
I wanted to place my Tart Cards in public spaces for people to see - in pubs, barbers, shops, parks etc. I tried thinking about places that people communicate with each other in and think about the conversations they might have.
Guerrilla Girls:
The Guerrilla Girls are an anonymous group of feminists and female artists who fight sexism and racism within art since the mid 1980's.
I was very inspired by the work Guerrilla Girls and how they "wear gorilla masks in public and use facts, humour and outrageous visuals to expose gender and ethnic bias as well as corruption in politics, art, film, and pop culture."
I find their anonymity very interesting as they could be anyone, anywhere. I think because they are anonymous, it highlights the issues they focus on and reduces the possibility of the public becoming distracted by who they are.
I was thinking of different ways I could be anonymous while leaving my Tart Cards in public places. I thought using a ski mask could be a possible idea or aiming to do it at a time when nobody would be about? I think it would be beneficial if I did stay anonymous as the aim of my project is to show, the shame that has been created around using the correct terminology for female genitalia. since the mid-1980s, have been protesting against racism and sexism in the art world. since the mid-1980s, have been protesting against racism and sexism in the art world.
I don't want my work to be about me but for it to highlight how we as a society speak about our bodies and the shame that surrounds using the correct terminology when referring to our 'breasts', 'vulva' or 'vagina'.
Children are taught from a very young age to feel ashamed about their bodies. WE ARE NOT BORN WITH SHAME, WE ARE TAUGHT IT. As children, are naturally curious about their bodies we turn their curiosity into shame by teaching them to say 'FLOWER' instead of 'VULVA'. I think by removing the shame we feel about these words and discussing them with the correct terminology will help women feel more positive and confident within themselves.
I ordered an bright pink coloured ski mask and received a green one. I didn't like this idea and felt a bit ridiculous so thought of other ways I could remain anonymous.
I also thought it would look quite sinister and scary, which is not the way I wanted my work to be perceived.
As I was going to create Tart Cards, I didn't want to add a phone number or any of my personal information to the card. I decided I could create a website and for every different card, it could have it's own personal URL. For example, if a person finds a Beave card, they'd follow the URL - https://slapandtickle.club/beaver. Depending on what card you find, would mean you'd only be able to access that certain website page as all the others are hidden.
Beaver:
When you find the website, all that will be visible is a snippet from my previous projects video. (whichever part mentioned the slang term on the card.)
Here are all of the URL's for the different web pages:
Wizards Sleeve:
Axe Wound:
Fried Eggs:
Milk Jugs:
Shoulder Boulders:
After experimenting with different printing techniques, I felt as though the lack of colour and detail in them took away from my designs. I decided to print my designs on glossy photograph paper, similar to the way prostitutes did when technology began to advance. I wanted to combine more modern designs and prints on my cards with the stamped lettering I'd experimented with on my Lino/ Mono prints.
I found that because of the glossy photography paper I'd used to print my designs on, the ink from the stamps were just wiping off the image and would smudge. I did however really like how crisp and high quality they looked. I decided I would add innuendos and different words onto these prints by hand with a permanent marker.
I really liked the way this looked as I was able to add little embellishments (the hearts around the sleeve).
I think this worked very well considering I couldn't print on it using stamps. I also like how it is hand written as it gives it a more personalised look. I didn't add anymore information onto the card other than the innuendo and the URL to the website. Which makes the card look more intriguing.
I added words/ sayings which can be found on majority of Tart Cards -
"I'm waiting for you"
"Men only"
"Gentlemen only"
Here are a few of my Tart Cards:
I did feel as though, they were lacking from the colourful background that Tart Cards were often printed on. So I decided to print them in black and white on colourful card too. Even though the designs themselves didn't have any colour in them, all the detail of the images were still very visible and added a different element to them.
I thought the hand written URL made the cards look even more intriguing on the other cards so I did the same on these ones. This time, I did however stamp onto them too. Overall, I'm very happy with how the cards turned out.
All of my Tart Cards:
I am planning on placing them in public spaces for members of the public to see/ find.
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