Constraint of the Week: The Posted Letter

The Posted Letter, Constraint #60

Handwrite a letter to someone who lives less than thirty minutes away. Not a text, not an email. A real letter, in a real envelope, with a real stamp. Mail it.

Reference artist(s): On Kawara.

The protocol

  1. Choose the recipient… someone you see regularly or not enough, who lives near you.
  2. Write the letter by hand. At least one page. Say something you wouldn’t say otherwise. The slowness of handwriting changes what you say.
  3. Find an envelope and a stamp. Buy a stamp if you don’t have one… the whole constraint lives in that gesture.
  4. Go post it in a mailbox. No direct drop-off… use the postal service.
  5. Wait for the reaction. Or not. The letter is the work, the reply is not a condition. Photograph the letter before sealing it and submit on the site.

Variants

  • Write to someone you haven’t contacted in more than five years.
  • Send an anonymous letter… no sender name.

Post your trace on ouviepo.fr with the hashtag #ouviepo_ThePostedLetter

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