I created this poster about the colour ‘Drunk Tank Pink’ as part of an exploration into the colour pink and its various social meanings. Whilst researching the colour pink, I came across the term ‘Drunk Tank Pink’, a specific colour of pink that was used to paint jail cells in the 80s.
"Pink is pretty, it’s pacifying, pleasant and playful. In the
late 70s, psychologist Dr.Schauss conducted multiple experiments
with the specific shade of
P-618 to see if the colour can
have a calming effect on people’s behaviour.
He did this by painting jail
cells pink, and the theory became popularised during the 80s,
leading to other prison facilities painting their jail cells pink, alongside psychiatric institutions and football team’s locker rooms.
Schauss later concluded that
it wasn’t scientifically
possible to confirm that it
worked, and the theory was never, fully, completely debunked."