The medium for this project is the hundreds of sympathy cards my family and I have received between 2013-2015, following the deaths of my brother and my mom.

Reading these hand-written notes of support and care during difficult times had a potent impact on my well-being, more so than a text, email, or Facebook message. The physicality of the card, the individuality of the hand-writing, the personality of the signature: all of these factors added value to the experience and relationship. Thank you to every person who sits down and reaches out with pen and paper, a meaningful gesture not to be forgotten or replaced by digital sentiments.

Support Wall is an interactive experience to provide an opportunity to hand write a card to a person in your life who might need a little extra support or would benefit from knowing you are thinking of them.

Cards were mailed daily throughout the exhibit.

THE INTERACTION

Participants enter the gallery and see the back-lit panel of cards. When they sit down in the chair to write a card, a light sensor in the chair triggers the spotlights above the panel to turn on, illuminating the message in a grid of small shadows. When the participant is through writing and dropping their hand-written card in the mailbox, they stand up and the lights go back down, erasing the message.