forgotten...

daily routines become an integral part of our lives; so much that sometimes, we take them for granted. when i left for college in 2001, my grandmother, rose, and i began corresponding through letter writing. i have stacks and piles of letters, postcards and envelopes, from her, containing all of my various addresses since leaving home.
when my grandmother died in october of 2006, i was left with incredible feelings of loss and emptiness. the cease of our letter correspondence affected me more than i could have imagined, eventually inspiring this project. i hand made envelopes, and sent them to her final address. they were empty vessels, allowing the continuation of daily practice, acting as stand-ins for our familiar correspondence.
the envelopes all eventually made it back to me, newly decorated with various foreign marks made by postal workers and machines. i find these marks to be one of the most beautiful and compelling aspects of the work, as their hasty, sharp nature, juxtaposed on the delicate surface of the handmade envelopes, acts as a metaphor for life and our role as individuals.
the envelopes are emblematic of everyday elements of control and chance.