by Sarah Cope

“Is this a post office or not?”

These were the words of an elderly local woman who came into the Please Write, the second art exhibition at Posted, which, as you might have guessed by now, used to be a post office. Indeed, it still very much looks like a post office, with the counter intact and some of the artefacts from the post office now having been cast and remodelled in plastic. I was very taken with the oversized calculator, and actually got in trouble when I touched it, totally failing to see the ‘DO NOT TOUCH’ sign right in front of me.

The exhibition has attracted some big names such as Rachel Whiteread and Tracey Emin, the latter having designed some stationery that can be purchased for a cool £50. Emin has also written a short piece about her love of letter-writing, explaining that ‘it’s like having a diary that goes out into the world. Some of my most intimate thoughts have been put down on paper, and sealed up in an envelope – sent off into the ether (…). It makes me calm, almost content.’ As a committed letter writer myself, I’d certainly echo that sentiment.

The exhibition serves to remind viewers that this is a dying art – sometimes quite literally: one of the pieces is a life-sized replica of a prisoner’s outfit, made up entirely of shredded letters written by prisoners on death row in the US.

Sam Hodge has utilised the ubiquitous postal service rubber bands one can see strewn all over the street to create her piece, while Tim Noble and Sue Webster have chosen to frame contrasting letters from each of their mothers, which stand as an alternative form of self-portrait.

As good as the exhibition is, and as much as I agree with the aim of encouraging more people to correspond via post rather than soulless email (not to mention the myriad other ways of communicating these days), I have to say I’d prefer it was still a post office. At least, though, the space is being put to use rather than the shop standing empty, and this is certainly an appropriate use.

As for the woman who wanted to know whether this was “a post office or not”, she was politely informed that it is an art gallery, albeit one that sells stamps. Oh, and very expensive envelopes designed by Tracey Emin.

Please Write – Posted, 67 Wilton Way, E8 1BJ – until 26 February 2011