The Love Letter Building was an art project by HA Schult in summer 2001 in Berlin. While the old Postfuhramt (a building at Oranienburger Strasse) was reconstructed the whole scaffolding was covered with a canvas-cover that was printed all over with handwritten love letters by normal people like students who were asked by their art teachers to participate in the project.
While drawing today on my Israel canvas something made me remember this project. My thoughts didn’t stop with the memory but my brain worked on. And so I want to invite you to participate in something similar – if only on a smaller scale as I have no scaffolding to cover but not less important.
I believe from my own experiences and from the bottom of my heart that it is less easy to lump people and project hate on a generalized group if you can put names, stories, faces to the group you may at the extreme want to dislodge or even erase. This is what my story ‘One King’s Children’ is about. And hence I want to do exactly this in an art project. With little notes and letters about yourself, little pictures, photos, knitting etc. that you think, might represent the one thing you are most, best, I want to create a “Wall of People of the Other Side”.
Foremost I aim of course, seeing my background, at Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Arabs. Yet, as the lines of one camp vs. another are not limited to one tiny spot on the planet (sic!) I don’t want to limit the project. If you want to participate to give your group/ people a face you are cordially invited.
What do I ask you to send me?: All I ask for is one small, nice handwritten message in English (as I and everyone who will see the wall must be able to know what it says and (bad) English is the language spoken by most in the world) about one thing you think you are. At the end of ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ they say something along the lines: some people are born to be mothers, some people are born to know everything about buttons, some people are born to create clocks… So, what are you born to be? What represents you best?
I want only small things you can send me by normal mail as I hope for many people to participate. So if you read this and like the idea, send the message out to your friends inviting them to take part as well. And don’t forget to drop me a line (either here or via the Email address on my frontpage) so that I can give you further instructions as where to send your letter.