Tropical Melancholy

To you, turning the corner,

Welcome to the Storm Post Office. This letter comes from São Paulo, November 1990, in the manner of Brazilian modernist mail art: a bold hand-drawn geometric sans-serif title woven into architectural curves, soft jade paper, ocher collage arcades, an indigo river contour, terracotta botanical linework, and the shadows of shutters printed lightly in halftone. The tropics here are damp, the shadows long, the mood a little melancholy.

Many years ago a poet cried out to this city: "São Paulo! stirring of my life..." — Mário de Andrade, Paulicéia Desvairada (1922)

Melancholy is not bad weather; it is the small depth we feel when the light comes in low. Bring it in with you, sit down a while, and read a slow letter. When you want to write, write to us.

In the low light,

Storm Post Office

November 1990 · São Paulo