When was the last time you opened your mailbox and received a pleasant surprise?
I think it's been years since I've received anything from anyone I know in the mail other than Christmas cards or similar.
Much of my work with visible mending is precisely about reconnecting people and helping us make things happen in the physical world, not just on screens. Letters, handwritten addresses, stamps that tell their own stories, date stamps—all these are traces of stories and connections that have disappeared in the name of efficiency.
I want people who care about people and nature throughout Norway to open their mailboxes and be surprised, curious, and then inspired, motivated, hopeful, with a touch of playfulness and almost a bit of a... mischievous feeling. A feeling of breaking norms and rules regarding efficiency, advertising, activism, social norms, and everything else. To play a little again, with the world, with how things are done and work.
Can we do that? Can you help me make it happen? To do something that feels a bit new, but is actually only a few decades old.
That would be so cool!
We need to pre-sell a number of these to get started, and we are working, in cooperation with those who order, on developing the content so that both you and I are satisfied with what is sent out. We are moving our office and warehouse in June and opening a shop and shared workshop in August, so even though we hope to get this ready ASAP, it will probably take a few weeks to get everything ready, but much has already been done!
The campaign works like this:
1. You order one or more letters
2. You fill in the name and address of the person (or people—you'll need to purchase multiple times to enter a new address each time) you want to receive the package.
3. I send the package, with a handwritten address and stamps
4. The package contains:
Needle and thread for one of these techniques: embroidery, sashiko, darning
Brochure with info about visible and creative mending, info about who wanted them to receive the package, instructions on how to use what they received in the package with a link to a short instructional video.
A link where they can order and send such a letter to up to 3 others, for free, also without paying for shipping
- maybe stickers
5. If the person you sent to sends a package to someone, they enter you as a reference and you receive a gift card for 100kr in the online store (max 3, only 1 for each person YOU sent to, even if they can send to 3 each).
6. The person you sent to also receives a gift card (or 3) if one or more of the people they sent to order for someone else.
The goal is for everyone to feel like they receive something they are happy about, which they can pass on, and by giving to someone else, also give a "thank you" to the sender, without it costing any money to do so. The only "cost", after this initial phase where I get a little help, is daring to send something like this home to someone else and hoping they think it's cool to receive it.
The content is under development; you will see all the text in the brochure and have access to the video(s) linked in the brochure before anything is sent.
In this development phase, you will also receive an invitation to a Telegram group where you can provide input on text and other content, so we can make this into something that truly feels genuine and authentic and feels good to both send and receive.
We won't be able to create a mending culture if we don't dare to share with others and invite others to join. I BELIEVE this can be an effective way to get the mending ball rolling faster, to break through the "algorithms" by simply abandoning them and doing things in physical reality instead.
Eventually, you will only be able to order if you are on our "Our Visible Mend" email list, or if you have purchased over a certain amount in the online store, or if you have received a package in the mail. But to get the ball rolling, it is open to everyone now, and your contribution helps us print the first round of brochures and support the launch of Romsås Menditorium.
Thank you very much!