Last letters from Denmark: Danes write to Devonian artist as postal service ends

"Some describe the joy of receiving dispatches from far afield, others speak of the discipline of sitting down to carefully order their thoughts in a letter. One writer tells of finding a poignant cache of letters after a parent's death, while another has shared a map of where the post boxes used to be in her town. A British artist has been collecting some of the last missives sent through the 400-year-old Danish postal system, which delivered its final letters on 30 December. PostNord has cited the increasing digitalisation of society and has said it will continue to deliver packages, but its decision to stop delivering letters has made headlines across the world. Taylor asked for Danes to post any kind of message: a long letter, a short greeting, a card, even just an addressed envelope."

"Gillian Taylor, who specialises in paper art, asked people to post a letter from Denmark to a PO Box in Exeter, Devon, just before the closure of the service, and in the next few months will put together a piece of art celebrating them."

"She invited people to send a long letter, a short greeting, a card, even just an addressed envelope without a message. She was surprised and thrilled at the great care many had clearly taken. Taylor said: Some have included old cut-out pictures which people used to collect and send in letters. Some have drawn pictures or made collages. Many expressed their sadness at the ending of the postal service and the removal of the post boxes. Many responses detailed people's memories associated with the now-closed postal service."

A British paper artist invited Danes to post messages to a PO Box in Exeter shortly before PostNord ended letter delivery on 30 December. The artist plans to compile the received items into an artwork celebrating the last letters from Denmark's 400-year-old postal system. PostNord cited increasing digitalisation and will continue package deliveries while stopping letter delivery. Contributors sent long letters, short greetings, cards, and even addressed envelopes, many showing handmade details like cut-out pictures, drawings, and collages. Senders expressed sadness at the closure and shared memories, including a map of former postbox locations and a found cache of letters after a parent's death.

Read at www.theguardian.com