Browse Exhibits (1 total)

You see them every day. They are all around you. They are little glimpses of what lies beneath the impassive faces that people put on as they go through their daily routines.

Yes. They are stickers.

When we think about everyday writing, no canon would be complete without accounting for the carefully curated exhibits we see all around us via laptops. Students select stickers with little bits of slang, quotes, or references to memes to display to the world. It doesn't get more mundane and everyday than that. As students, the stickers we pick for our laptops are what we are continuously reminded of every time we open it to complete schoolwork, watch a movie, or do a quick Google search.

While the stickers may appear to be mindless fun, it actually goes much deeper. When we slap colorful designs or searing witticisms on those monochrome surfaces, it is important to consider the why of it all. For some, it is nothing more than an exercise in the aimless-there is no deeper purpose for their sticker choices. For others, what they put on their laptop is akin to baring their soul in the most aesthetic way they know how. 

In a world where there is a pressure to conform, it is remarkable to see students find little ways to remind others - and themselves - about their interests. 

This exhibit aims to explore the role of stickers as a form of everyday writing in the lives of students. Are they a marker of one's identity? How closely can they be tied to one's career or academic ambitions? What can we tell about a person based on their stickers? 

The answers may surprise you. And hopefully you'll never be able to look at someone else's laptop the same again.