the deltiologist

 I am often intrigued by the relationship between language and the layers of possible meaning...its often contradictory nature of defining the complex in very simple terms or the humble with bemusing complexity...in this case a single word...'deltiology' and how its definition as the study or collecting of postcards seems beautifully detached from such a simple,quiet interest...of course its Greek origin is more direct...deltos: writing tablet...I don't really want to delve into the 'phenomenology' thing again but the very simple notion of allowing 'the objects' we encounter to speak for themselves allows for a very subtle relationship to unfold between us and what we encounter...the introduction of any form of creative element brings about a heightened experience of that very relationship...in this instance the postcard offers its own particular encounter even before it is altered in any form...the altering of its surface with diagrams, text and clusters of numeral notations introduces an ambiguity to the way one perceives not just the underlying image but this most humble form of correspondence...in their original form it was against the law to write on the back of postcards...messages could only be written over the printed or photographic image...it was only in the early 1900's that both the message and the address of its receiver shared the reverse side...perhaps like language itself any form of creative response contains the same ambiguity...a detached familiarity..sp