Written Connections Exhibition

Exhibition Dates: February 3 – March 8, 2024 and Open Hours Here
Closing Reception: Friday, March 1, 2024, 6pm – 7pm in the Turnbull Gallery

    The longstanding art of letter writing is said to be dying in light of our current technology. Emails are short, texts even shorter with abbreviations and emoticons used to keep messages under a character limit. A snail mail revolution is not a new idea, there is some resurgence of pen-pals, and care-package swaps, but most people still send their thanks, short greetings, or notes of birthday wishes in the form of facebook posts. When was the last time we sent a message through the mail to a friend or loved one? What connections are we missing by signing onto our computer or phone and tweeting a broad message about our day to 200 of our ‘closest friends’ in 144 characters or less?

    A report from Canada Post says they delivered five billion letters in 2006 but only four billion in 2012, even though the number of addressed grew by over 800,000, and further decreased to only 2.48 billion in 2021. A written letter whether it’s a page or ten conveys so much more than the written word. Emoticons only go so far to express what can be divined from hand writing and pen marks. Graphology is and entire science devoted to analyzing ones hand writing, which can reveal personality traits and emotions based on pen pressure, word spacing and how one draws their letters. What Written Connections aims to do, is to bring to the attention of the audience these forgotten attributes of a written letter. A letter is not just the written word passing between two people as so many other mediums, but a story and a connection between people. Letters are saved and coveted; text messages are archived and never again reviewed.

    Using letters sent to and from the artist as well as letters sourced from family and friends these stories will be laid out in the installation through visual and audio means as the piece takes you from the electronic noise of notifications dinging, through the transformation of the written word and to a writing desk/table. From framed letters to paintings and collages, some accented with technology such as lights or sounds I will bring forth the stories and people that are found with in and behind the letters. At the writing desk/table the viewer will be invited to become a participant by writing a letter or post card to someone they know or to be included in this and future exhibits.