Franking Labels 2012

”Margarinfabrikkin” – Tórshavn Youth Centre was commissioned to design postage stamps for 2012 with the theme “Street Art”. The result was these four drawings by the two young girls, Saga Kapna and Laura Edit Tórhalsdóttir, who together call themselves “Nadedita”. The humorous drawings depict four different personality types, which they interpret and illustrate as animals: the Atlantic Puffin, the Oystercatcher, the ram and the pilot whale. The Atlantic Puffin – Media Whore Dressed in its Paris Hilton designer sunglasses, the Atlantic Puffin stands on the fell in Mykines and feels very important. It is photographed by anyone and everyone who passes by and it always poses with a proud countenance, as if it were a famous international supermodel (which, of course, it is). It knows that it is the most attractive and smartest bird – maybe not a symbol of the Faroe Islands in history, but essentially, the Atlantic Puffin is the most important bird. The Oystercatcher – Hipster The Oystercatcher knows that it is better than the Atlantic Puffin. The Oystercatcher is the national bird of the Faroe Islands. The original and true symbol of the Faroe Islands – the true nature of the Faroe Islands. Nobody notices the Oystercatcher; the Atlantic Puffin steals most of the attention. But that doesn’t matter, because as long as the Oystercatcher isn’t mainstream, it can get into Sirkus (a bar in Tórshavn) and enjoy a cup of tea and listen to indie-rock without feeling persecuted. And, of course, it listens to the music that nobody else has heard of. The Oystercatcher loves travelling to exotic countries in the winter and it loves to encounter foreign cultures. This gives the Oystercatcher a higher social status than the other animals in the Faroe Islands, and that is something the Oystercatcher likes – feeling superior. But, for God’s sake, it mustn’t look at though it is actually trying. The Ram – Biker The ram is the hard-boiled type, who knows exactly what it wants and its place in society – right in the middle of the road. It doesn’t move when you approach it in your car, no matter how much patience you show. The ram is very popular among the ewes. In fact, it is so popular that there are twice as many sheep in the Faroe Islands as there are people. The Pilot Whale – Emo-martyr “Why are the others always picking on me? Don’t they know what a hard time I am having?” The pilot whale is the sad being who is either attacked by the Faroese or by the even more diligent environmentalists. The pilot whale is completely black and its eyes are deep-set. Nobody understands it and it swims around with the other pilot whales, all of whom look like each other in their black suits and deeply unhappy souls. The only thing that makes it happy is to swim around in a sea of sorrow.

Technical Details

Issue Date: 24.09.2012

Designer: Saga Kapna og Laura Edit Tórhalsdóttir

Colours: 4 Colours

Values: 6.50