Title: The Pigeon Park
Personal Inspiration:
My postcard tells a story of time-crossed communication, connecting two individuals separated by decades. This narrative is inspired by my personal experience, where my childhood apartment, built in 1973 and where I lived until 2008, was completely torn down and replaced by one of the tallest apartments in Gangnam, Seoul, as depicted on the postcard (I used a real image of both the old and new apartment).
When I recently learned that the new apartment was completed and saw its picture, I wondered if I would ever recognize the place I once called home. One surprising discovery was that the “Pigeon Park,” where I used to hang out with friends near my old apartment, was preserved. This made me think that if I could find that park once I go back to Korea, I might be able to orient myself and reconnect with my past. This story reflects my desire as a designer to find traces of the past in a rapidly evolving city, Seoul.
Postcard Description:
The recipient, Daeun, finds herself perplexed upon receiving a letter from 1998, written by a stranger named Soo-ah, who appears to have lived in the same location over a century earlier. The front of the postcard features a mysterious juxtaposition of present (left) and past (right)—an image of a quaint, old-fashioned apartment set against the modern backdrop of a high-rise buildings.
The content of the postcard reveals Daeun’s confusion and curiosity about whether the letter she received is real. The text is written in a clear, conversational tone, capturing Daeun’s astonishment at the differences between her current reality and the world Soo-ah describes. The mention of a pearl necklace, inexplicably buried in a “Pigeon park”—a place that holds shared memories for both—adds an intriguing layer to the mystery, suggesting a deeper connection between the two across time.
The postcard closes with a question—how can Daeun return the necklace, and where exactly is Soo-ah? The overall design evokes a sense of nostalgia, with subtle time-travel elements, creating a narrative that leaves the reader wondering about the connection between Daeun and Soo-ah.
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