Letters to Parents

"Letter to Parents" was an interactive art installation I installed on the campus of California State University, Long Beach. I proposed the question, "What is something you wish your parents had told you?" Students were able to participate and be involved with the art piece. I laid out materials such as paper, pens, and envelopes for people to write letters to their parents and after they were done, they would send it off and place it in the mailbox. The installation had accumulated hundreds of letters with each response being unique and different from the last. My intent for this project was to start a conversation and have people interact with not just the installation but with each other. These people have held back a lot of their feelings and emotions for so long and I hoped that is was a catalyst for them to talk about family topics and open up to friends, family, or even strangers. It may not solve all of the issues these people are dealing with but hopefully it's the first step in the right direction where they feel comfortable in talking to someone whether it be with a therapist, a friend, a family member, etc.