25 March 2016

Letters to the Ocean


Sometimes I read about mail projects that really fascinate me. Like Letters to the ocean:
Every day for the last twelve years, I have sent a letter to the Pacific Ocean. The letters are returned by the US Postal Service with markings indicating that "no such place exists." I have over 3,000 returned letters which I have exhibited at various points in the project.
The American artist John Peña started in 2003 to send letters to a undeliverable place: the ocean. The project is still ongoing. In this article, he explains that: “It helps me relax into the uncertainty of the world and frees me up to make absurd moves like sending a letter to the ocean every day.”


Do not you feel like writing to this man? I did!

10 comments:

  1. So nice to read, thank you for sharing, Eva!

    It makes me feel like writing to the Ocean, too! Maybe one day a Mermaid, or Narwal, or, probably more realistic, an (educated) Octopus (who already has ink, and eight arms/tentacles to use to write with) will reply!
    The only problem would be to find the right paper to write (for the receiver - I will use waterresistent ink and my watercolour paper can survive a certain amount of water) and even more a problem will be to find usable stamps (as they will stick to the first near object as soon as they come in contact with water..)..

    Did John Peña reply alteady?

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    1. He (still) did not replied to the letter. Maybe I asked him too difficult questions...

      You DID write to a mermaid many times! :D

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  2. By the way, I love those postal additions, especially the 'return to sender' hand stamp!

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    1. Me too. It's a weird but intriguing project.

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  3. Fascinating project, I'd never heard of it before. Quite obsessive, too. Great octopus - I wanted to draw one for 'what is she staring at' but didn't feel like I could do a good job if it.

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    1. But drawing an octopus isn't difficult; you just need to count up to 8... ;-)

      It's a pity that I didn't took the picture with the stamps, really. I stuck some fishes!

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    2. I also really like the 'Ocean Mail' blue stickers, very clever.

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  4. I wonder what his post officer thinks of him...

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    Replies
    1. I guess (s)he really dislike the project!

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Thank you for coming. All your comments make me extremely happy.