At FUSE last night, my volunteer duty included the task of managing the activity called ‘Post Card to a Stranger’. It was based around the theme for last nights event entitled ‘I Want to be Alone (with you)‘, a play on having a psycho-social post-Olympic respite. Basically people wrote a message to a stranger on a blank postcard, after which it went into a box. At another station you wrote your address on a label, we would then randomly attach these address labels to the postcards. Thus you would then receive a random postcard in the mail. I thought people really enjoyed it. They were likely uninhibited in knowing what they wrote was like a gift to someone they don’t know; a random act of kindness hopefully! In addition, the anticipation that they will receive a postcard seemed exciting.
One stranger gave me her postcard to read, unsure how the person receiving it may feel. She was afraid of appearing too forward. I won’t reveal her original contents, however I wrote this one back as a gift for allowing me to read it in the first place. What do you think?
_____________________________________________________
I
I * ** * * ** ***
I Dear Stranger, *** * * * * ** **
I * * * ** **
I Nice to meet you at the gallery. * ** * * * ***
I What did you think of FUSE? I find * * * * * * *
I that it breathes a little life into my * * ** * ** * *
I creative embers. I hope it stoked * * * *
I your artistic flame. One thing I ***
I really enjoy is surrounding myself **
I with other fearless creators. They always *** * * **
I seek the flood of their emotions – cherry blossoms
I and capture enough of them j peachy
I to create their latest opus.
I Isn’t it daring to face the oncoming
I surge, fully knowing the risk and beauty
I of what may happen? I suppose that
I is the thrill and danger that comes
I with being an artist. However, most
I fascinating is knowing the person beside you is
I on this spectacular journey as well; and that you
I can hang on whenever you may need.
I
I All the best in your travels.
I – J Peachy
I___________________________________________________
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March 14, 2010 at 6:03 am
Roger Loubert
This Experiment was attempted recently in terms of “A VIDEOGRAM” – actually many Videograms that were Produced by a Group of Young People who were at the end of Their Journey Together!!
Though different then writting a Postcard to s Stranger ; what was interesting about them and this Process of ” Writting Videograms ” was that they were Strangers when they began their KATIMAVIK Experience ; and through a fascinating ” Living in a House Together as well as Travelling in different part of Canada , AS WELL as doing Community Service in Communities that participated in the Program ….
RESULTED IN AN EXPERIMENTAL ADDITION to Their Journey when it was asked of a Region to come up with an experience that would be benefecial to The Region and To Katimavik perse ,,, Thus was Born an Idea that was Bookended at Minnekhada ( a Regional Park ) and involved both these ” Strangers in a Strange Land ” and This REGION in a fascinating Journey of Mutual and Self Discovery …which was fascinatingly Bookended as I was saying at Minnekhada, beginning with an all Day Orientation / Retreat / Introduction to BC, The Region Then eventually to a Unique Neighbourhood Called Maillardville ; in which these ” Strangers ” were to act as a Mirror so that we experience ourselves from the Outside Looking in ( Through THEIR EYES ) …
At the same time we asked of a Photographer to tag along and Document The Strangers DOCUMENTING US !!!
At The very end of The Project – let’s call it Project Identity – we asked of them to present to 3 Schools a REPORT of WHAT THE SAW and EXPERIENCED ..( and They chose to do a Collage and a Skit / Story telling of Their Experiences ) ; oh , and did I tell you they did some work in our Ravines within this one NEIGHBOURHOOD of MAILLARDVILLE ..( ALL IN THE SPIRIT of EXPLORATION and DISCOVERY …
Ending on that last day at MINNEKHADA LODGE once again to illicit from them a testimony of their personal experience visiting here , in the Form of A VIDEOGRAM which would eventually be sent to their respective Communities in Canada …
Imagine Videograms eventually going as : DEAR OTTAWA , DEAR CANADA etc .. And you get the Idea …!!!
Such was our Experience with STRANGERS who became a fascinating reminder of our need for each other and our respective Communities and Famillies and Freinds … ( Discovering in all of Them a Gift of Recoprocity and Communications Exxperienced at an exceptional level …
FROM THE HEART …
Thanks for inspiring me to share this Story with you !!!
Take Care !!!
March 14, 2010 at 8:05 am
J Peachy
Wow that is great, thank you for sharing. Is there any place that we can see these Videograms?
April 2, 2010 at 6:00 pm
mbjesq
VAG’s Postcard to a Stranger was a wonderful project. And now the postcards have arrived at their destinations!
I report on the postcard I received at http://www.memestream.org.
Thanks for volunteering!