A participatory art project based on a few main ideas:
- When we are on holiday, at a special event, having a day out – we often feel more aware of what really matters. Often we forget what that is when we go back to everyday life.
- No-one ever sends real… letters anymore.
- You can get people to trust and play with you very quickly if they want to.
- When people learn to connect with their higher selves, the ripple effect starts to create positives for others they come in contact with.
- “Non-artists” also deserve to be a key part of creative processes.
I approached total strangers on the Brighton seafront and invited them to send a postcard to themselves, donate bits and bobs from their pockets to the cause and wait to see what happened.Sending them off tomorrow, then emailing our lovely pioneers to let them now where they can leave their comments about how it felt.Quite labour intensive so looking for some other ways to do this at events, possibly with a focus on climate issues or just plain silliness. Want to make it more widely available. Links to our previous project Global Friends Websites from the late 1990s (The Ultimate Postcard… and a bit early for its time).
Also inspired by Post Secret (now on Twitter).Unlike Post Secret, participants are approached, assisted, encouraged. In this way creativity and expression reaches those it might not ordinarily reach.
The audience for the cards was the participants who inspired them, not an art elite. So by their nature, there are intended to be accessible to the person who inspired them/co-created them. hey wrote the message and address, plus became the muse through conversation, and donated items for collage).
It seems important that, even though the folk who played are not being asked to do the whole thing themselves, my hope is that Jack, Tess, Lee/Emiliana/Frejah/Rowan, Jules, Clare, Emma and Carlee can feel a connection with the card in someway. That they will keep it as a momento of a certain point in their lives, possibly for a very long time to come.
Can you see the potential?
Festival, gigs, arts funding to do it in Brighton. Would love to recruit a team of art students to do their thang en masse. We could link it in with other themes/ideas without subverting the main idea of chaneling “higher self” to “everyday self”.
Even if we did a mass public version, the essential ingredients are:
- The message, in the participants own hand writing
- A photo of that person in that time and place.
How else can you imagine it working?
How was it get involved Jack, Tess, Lee/Emiliana/Frejah/Rowan, Jules, Clare, Emma and Carlee?
It brightened up my day getting my card this morning, Ive put it on my fridge to make me smile
I think it would be a nice idea at festivals etc, as long as you are sober enough to write.
Brilliant idea
1. What was it like to write a message to yourself?
A bit strange, I wanted to write something really significant – mainly because we only have one weekend a year away together as friends, it’s always really fun and really means a lot so I wanted to capture the moment of that. You did well to pick up on us as a group and the fact that this was precious time to us! Had you caught me on a more regular occasion I probably would have found it much easier to write something…
2. What was it like to receive your postcard? Can you imagine keeping it?
It was wonderful receiving the postcard, I loved the photo – in fact I would love it without any additional changes from you (not that I minded them!). Just the process of receiving a surprise photo of me and my best friend, taken at a fun time, really brightened my day. I will most definitely keep it – it’s stuck on the fridge! We also all been contacting one another to let each other know when our cards arrived.
3. Can you see this idea working at festivals, music gigs, community events, somewhere else? (A simplified version is in the pipeline)
Definitely, festivals and music gigs would be an excellent idea. I would love to have a postcard of me and a friend from a festival when I was younger, it would be a unique keep sake and an ideal way of capturing the moment.
What was it like to write a message to yourself?
It was such a lovely idea as I was spending some quality time with old friends so was a very happy occassion.
What was it like to receive your postcard? Can you imagine keeping it?
It was fabulous receiving my postcard it definitely made me smile. When I was younger I use to write to a penpal in the states and it was the same kind of excitement I use to get when I would receive a letter. Now we have the world wide web the only things I get in the post is junk mail so this was just lovely, I will keep it forever – it’s on my kitchen notice board.
3.Can you see this idea working at festivals, music gigs, community events, somewhere else?
This would definitely work at all sorts of events. A great way of remembering a special day! You did so well to make such lovely postcards and send them so quickly – thankyou – I think even if they didn’t turn up until 6 months after it would be amazing too – imagine getting a sunny postcard in wintery January with fond memories and notes – that would definitely make you smile!
[...] Post Yourself [...]
What can I say? Its all just so fub u luss~! I am gonna sit right down and right myself a message….as soon as I Can!