I first noticed one on a main entrance door to my office building earlier last week. It had a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. scrawled upon it. It was doubly taped so as not to blow away in our severe winter winds. A faded-looking post-it note. It appeared to be signed: PFP

Then, I noticed them literally everywhere outside. They were on light-posts, benches, windows, doors- even electrical transformer covers. Someone was clearly trying to make a point, and if proving nothing more than sheer determination to spread multiple colored post-it notes with various inscribed messages, they were doing it.

Now, I've seen the extent to which post-its can be combined for purposes of art, pranks, and throwbacks to old school video games. From the post-it note Phoenix sculpture, to the post-it note Mario game characters, and completely covered cars and offices, there's a lot those ubiquitous little self-adhesive squares can do.1

I'd never seen someone with a project of similar magnitude (so many notes in so many colors - quite possibly hundreds even?) with the primary difference being that the notes were not used in combination, but rather separately- spread all over a large public space rather than, say, making a portrait of Elvis, for example.

Being finally intrigued by this little project, I was determined to record some information about the notes. So, in true blogging spirit, I proceeded to take a series of albeit shitty camera phone photographs, and combine them here with these notes on the interesting phenomenon of PFP currently taking place on the Appalachian State University campus.

With that said, here are some basic observations which are not conveyed much by the photographs:

• The notes were of various colors, including standard yellow and a couple of green variants
• The notes seemed to all contain quotes by famous individuals in addition to other popular phrases, such as "Just Do It".
• The handwriting and writing instruments appeared various, possibly indicating more than one person's involvement
• As noted above, most of the notes used some kind of white tape (similar to fiber or strapping tape) as supplemental adhesive - clearly someone with experience in the fragility of post-its as a long term messaging system
• The PFP phenomenon is not new - I'd heard rumors that this has happened before, and that previous notes were also signed PFP.

I'm interested in the notes as a form of communication and art- I would very much like to know more about the person or persons behind them. If you have more information and wish to talk, please drop me a line.

UPDATE: I've since seen a cardboard sign reading, "People Fighting Poverty" and so perhaps that has a connection with all of the post-its? A cluebat strikes...

1. 1. Google for the phrases post-it art, post-it mario, post-it prank, etc. to learn more. Too lazy to google it? Then just go here, and feast your eyes on all the post-it fun...