Project Letterbox
How often do we write letters? Agreed that letters are now replaced by emails, and our text 'msg' vocabulary has either shortened words or replaced them with alphabets/ alpha-numeric set of characters. It's okay to be that in our fast paced world. But the question we raise is that does this provide us an opportunity in our lives to pause for a while and reconnect, in an old fashioned way, back to the art of writing letters.
We consider writing letters as a form of art as it evokes our senses. For instance if you are sharing your experience of your visit to the Taj Mahal through a letter, it provides that possibility to sit in front of the monument, look around, write, look at people moving and experience the monument and continue writing. It evokes the "self-expression" in us. This whole act of pausing for a while and reconnecting seldom happens with emails or telephonic calls; and certainly not with text messages, twitter or facebook updates.
From the receiver's perspective, the form of this system allows one to have a collection of letters with you. One can take these collectibles out sometime and by the first glance at it - even after years - almost instantaneously gets connected to that frame of mind and those emotions when the letter was written. This amount of tangibility doesn't come along with emails. they get lost somewhere in the pile of other 4GB mails and spams we hold in our inbox.
To take this on, we're working on a continuously ongoing project titled "PROJECT LETTERBOX". It is an art installation for reconnecting people back to the lost art of writing letters. We intend to tie up with a governing bodies and organisation to bring awareness into the already known! And, for the same we need your help and support to make this possible. The outcome is to be a part of a legacy of reinforcing relations.
We would need support in terms of designs, raising funds, feedback, and to start a culture - in short a collective community participation.
We don't intend one to be really nostalgic and stop using emails, but certainly to pause in the busy lives, think and write - letters, one's thoughts, stories, fantasies, and whatever one feels like. We want this movement to get so large that it evolves into almost a ritual, wherein if one travels on a vacation or taking a break one would want to start writing letters to their dear ones. And may be in ten years from now that one too would have their own valued collection of letters that mean something for oneself, that can be cherished upon. Come join the cult!
We urge you all dear friends to pause, go out, sit, relax and write a letter; a letter that you have been meaning to write for a long time now. Come, let us all be a part of the beginning of a new culture.
One could participate by getting in touch with us, their community to promote the art of letter writing or simply by following our Facebook Page.