What Urban Stickers Around the World say

If you've lived in a city or travelled to urban areas around the world, you’ve likely noticed stickers plastered on various surfaces: posts, electricity poles, mailboxes, trash cans, and other urban public objects. Stickers are a common sight in urban environments.

But why do people put them up? What messages do they convey to city dwellers and visitors? Maybe we cannot see anything when we look at them, maybe when we walk and see them, most of the times we don’t focus on them nor find any meaning. However -like different forms of art- they are posted there not just to say something. Because of this, it might be worth exploring how these stickers are perceived within their urban context, sometimes in plain sight and other times hidden away.

Stickers are typically viewed as a form of graffiti, or associated with counterculture, often regarded as dirty or rebellious. Many are tied to punk culture or leftist politics; but, many times, random city stickers have been interpreted in many different ways. Today, stickers can express a wide range of ideas—they aren't just anti-establishment statements. Many are used for advertising, sharing messages, or simply for fun.

As a sociologist and urban researcher, I've had a long-standing fascination with these stickers. I've seen them in nearly every city and country I've visited. This project presents a collection of photographs that highlight what city residents—rather than urban planners—want to communicate to those who walk around. Take a look at them in different cities of the world. Let’s see what you find in them.

This project is ongoing, and I will continue to add more photographs and updates over the next few years.