“Remember letter writing is a dying art and we must do our best to keep up the tradition. Who knows, maybe our grand-children won’t know what the word letter means” Excerpt from a letter written in1984

From February 25 to March 5, Lady Eaton College, played host to an exhibition of Voices at Hand, an installation by local artist-in-residence, Wendy Trusler.

"Wendy took a quiet corner of the dining hall and transformed it into a space of wonder and expression,” said Dr. Michael Eamon, principal of Lady Eaton College.  “At first, many students didn't know what to make of the exhibition. Eventually, they started to make their way over, ask questions and explore the art of the written word. Colleges are meant to offer students new perspectives in a safe environment.  Voices at Hand did just this and we at Lady Eaton College are better for the experience."

Part art installation, part performance and part travelling archive, Voices at Hand is an ongoing project that serves to examine the essence of why we keep letters. The collection now sits at close to 4,000 letters written in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Russian, spanning 213 years of correspondence sorted into 56 categories. The project has a Twitter and Facebook following and at last count the Voices at Hand blog had reached audiences in 26 countries.

Wendy Trusler is a visual artist who creates site-responsive installations that incorporate various media including drawing, painting, sculpture and film. Her installations have been presented in a variety of contexts, from galleries to storefront windows, industrial spaces to parks. Her interest in the roles symbol and language play in coding memory continues with Voices at Hand.