Salve!

Metaphor used:

"Salve!’s goal is to make those messages tangible, to celebrate their role in women’s friendships as a means to take care of each other and reaffirm the bond while, at the same time, still keeping the intimate perspective that characterises the topic. Thinking about how to communicate all these aspects another occasion in which I used to write to my friend to let them know that I was doing well came to my mind: when, as a little girl, I used to mail postcards to my classmates over the summer. Childhood is indeed a time of one’s life when friendships tend to be often with people of the same gender and are also generally lighter-spirited than adult ones. Taking inspiration from this childhood habit, the project re-purposed those “I’m safe” messages as postcards, to highlight the intimacy and light-hearted take on the issue. The metaphor is made evident by the title which can be interpreted both as an adjective (as if in “siamo salve”, “we are all safe”) and as a greeting (“Salve!”, “Hello!”) that one could find written in a funny type-face on a postcard."

Intended Meaning:

Since I started going out at night by myself I have always had the habit to text my friends as soon as I got home to inform them that I managed to reach it safely. Growing up, moving to another town and meeting new people I soon realised that my habit was the standard practice among most women but also that, despite being really common, the phenomenon is often overlooked by men, who, generally speaking, have to worry less about safety issues. This project is meant to shine the light on this habit, allowing people to reflect on it but at the same time to celebrate a phenomenon that, despite problematic in its causes, represents the cheerfulness, carefulness and strength of female friendships.

Source:

Whatsapp chat exports, messages that women send to each other after a night out to confirm that they got home safely