Mailbox: A letter to my childhood

This letterbox is a symbolic sign of Singapore’s old heartland culture, as it is is the second generation designed letter box; one of the last few left in Singapore. Through the cognitive theory, viewers can be brought back to the days where they used to look into letterboxes out of curiosity when they were kids.

The difference in the shapes of the window panels and letter boxes make us group these two elements differently, thus visually creating a distinct line which separates the photo into two.

The closed windows in the left signify the shut-off relationship that we now have with our neighbours. The negative space on the left side of the picture shows our deliberate decision to place the audience’s focus on the right.

The two sisters are facing each other and the elder sister’s finger is pointing at the younger sister. Rhythm is present as their eyeline and non-verbal action directs our view to the letterbox.

The letterboxes makes us think of letters, which used to be our main form of communication. However as time passes, our way of communication changes along with how we used to live in the heartlands, and we tend to forget their significant importance in our lives.