the [white paper] concept.

I’ve been pondering about the idea that if we are left with a nice piece of blank white paper in front of us, the likely chances are that we’ll start doing ’something’ to it. Now this could be folding it – origami if we are keen, tearing it, using it as an ‘emergency’ tissue or something to wrap-up our gum, or maybe for some of us – to eat?… But I believe that more likely we’d be leaving some kind of ‘mark’ on it (assuming we have the right materials in hand) using pen, pencil, chalk, paint, or more easily – our dirty fingerprints.

What I find most interesting is the variety and randomness of ‘doodles’ that people do on spare bits of paper lying around in cafes, lecture rooms, mm… a receipt on a floor, toilet paper, magazines in doctor waiting rooms, etc. Now this is only natural since we always have things to think about, and it’s not surprising that we choose to draw out some of our thoughts down on solid paper. Maybe it’s something we’d like others to know? to share our problems? to advocate something or to promote? (think graffiti art) mm… to ‘express’ in general, like a feeling or an emotion! This is more prominent in the small paper pads that you’d find in art shops – now those are covered with allsorts of scribbles (and it’s funny that you’ll always find a penis drawn in there somewhere). I believe that as humans, we all have the natural tendency to express with the most simplest form besides talking or using body language – and this is to draw! To surrender to the most primitive form of expression that we’ve learnt as kids since kindergarten! The childishness that we already know, and that we do not object to use to most efficiently and easily express ourselves.

Now, as an experiment, what kind of stuff – or ‘creation’ will we produce if we see blank paper stuck on the walls of a busy street? on a lamp-post? behind a toilet door in a cafe? lying on the desk of a shop counter when the sales assistant is away? on the floor just outside the underground on the way to work? on the back of a taxi without the driver noticing? or on the back of bus seats?…interesting. Some of us may be too shy or too afraid to do something, some may choose a right time to draw when no one is looking, and some may even do it with public attention. It’s paper! More legitimate than graffiti-ing, right? and if they don’t like it, then it can be removed easily. Neat.