Tape as Art

Tape. You’ve used it before. You’ve tested out all of the different kinds and found your favorite. You’ve duct taped the dent in your car or wrapped your throbbing toes with medical tape. You’ve attempted making a wallet back when duct tape wallets were cool and posted the Harry Potter book cover poster you got at the book release on your wall with shiny Scotch tape. Now that you’re older, you may have even tried Kim K’s breast taping secret trick or found one of your own. But did you know there’s more to tape than just sticking things together? Tape can be used for much more. It can be used as a medium to build and create beautiful works of art.

Now that tape is being made in a variety of colors and sizes, artists are finding new ways to get creative with the sticky substance. Some are taking colored tape and putting it in designs, shapes, or lines on walls, floors, windows, and gates as if tape is a new way of making graffiti or decorating a home. They’re taking traditional works of art and recreating them in tape form. They’re looking at a blank wall not as a soon-to-be-painted partition, but as a blank canvas ready for their tape art. Painting takes time; you have to wait for paint to dry. But, tape lets you get creative right away and keep changing a wall until the work of art in your mind becomes the work of art in your home.

Others tape artists are saying goodbye to tulle and satin and building dresses and suits out of this magical medium. They’re creating cool accessories to brighten up or add a personal taste to their outfits. They’re getting creative with what can be considered “prom formal” and finding a way to make that special night even more personal.

Can’t find the perfect design to use as your next tattoo? Tape artists have got you covered there, too. Tape is now the perfect way to create your own unique body art without the commitment of a life-long pattern. It’s also great for creating personalized jewelry that can change with each outfit so you never have to worry about wearing the same ensemble twice.

Even more tape artists are taking to their crafting tables to create anything from sculptures and lampshades, to hammocks and rugs, to candles and bookmarks. These people are starting small and slowly taking on new sticky adventures in tape art that continue to wow the world.

Don’t believe me? Just do a quick Google search of “tape as art” and you’ll find hundreds of creative people sharing their masterpieces. Need inspiration? Watch a few YouTube How-To videos or sign into that Pinterest account you forgot about for fun ideas that’ll remind you how creative the world can be with even the simplest of hardware store items. Or, if you’re not feeling it, just do what Kim does and tape up the girls for a fun night on the town. I’m not judging.