sent and received
40 standard size mailing envelopes, 40 A4 size sheets of paper, ballpoint pen
2019
The 21st century is marked by unprecedented changes; the world has in effect become smaller than ever before. Globalization means that cultures interweave without issue, borders become blurred, and travelling is accessible to an unprecedented amount of the population. Human connection; that between mother and child, between closest of friends and lovers can become augmented by distances across oceans and continents.
Sent and received is an investigation of these relationships, and how humans maintain these ties in 2019. Text messages were collected from a diverse group of friends and family members, and remediated into the standard letter format. By exhibiting these moments of love, friendship, and everyday banality as physical objects rather than rapid-fire messages, the viewer is asked to slow their understanding of communication. The act of opening an envelope and reading hand-written text contrasts with the speed of texting, and questions the implications as the digital as out main method of communicating. The letters are arranged largely at random, and consist of English, Russian, and Spanish text. The viewer in effect asked to intercept the constant flow of text messages sent and select only a few to investigate. Sent and Received acts as a disorganized and cluttered archive of human connection in the 21st century.
This project was completed during my exchange semester at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.