“The Empathy Postroom” exhibition was planned through the Amorepacific Empathy Foundation’s “All hard carry”
mentoring program. Based on proposal in it, we collaborated with university student mentees to create a
warm, communicative space at the actual location of STORY A in Busan, centered around the theme of
“sympathy.” The exhibition is designed with a vintage post office concept that opens only at the end
of the year. It encourages to write letters to themselves or others about the theme of “empathy,”
which can be difficult to express verbally. Through the process of viewing the exhibition, visitors
complete their own letter packages.
The tone and mood of the space are designed to evoke a warm yet nostalgic end-of-year atmosphere, achieved through the use of oak wood furniture paired with vintage iron lighting and accessories.
During this reflective season, visitors can read and write letters in a space reminiscent of a vintage post office, listen to gentle carols, and create their own
packages—experiencing the exhibition in a lighthearted yet meaningful way.
The exhibition is organized into five main zones: Reception, Emotion Management, Empathy Letter, Parcel Packaging, and Photo Zone. Upon entering, visitors first
pick up a holder at the reception area to begin creating their parcel, read the exhibition introduction, and stamp their holder with the date of the visit.
Visitors who receive a holder move on to the Emotion Management Department – Archiving, where they begin the exhibition by reflecting on their current emotions—thinking about how they have been feeling lately and why.
After attaching their emotion stamp, they proceed to the cabinet on the right, known as the Emotion Management Department – Storage.
The cabinet holds letters that express empathy for the ten emotions featured in the archiving section, allowing visitors to read messages corresponding to different feelings and take home those that resonate with them or offer inspiration.
These selected letters are then placed in the pocket received at the reception desk.
The centerpiece of the exhibition, the “Empathy Letter Section”, is a space where visitors can write letters to strangers,
post them on the wall, take letters written by others, or exchange letters with friends or loved ones who accompanied them.
As the content is shaped through visitor participation, this section can be seen as a collaborative space where visitors and the curator together create the exhibition experience.
Next, the Package Wrapping Station is a space where visitors can create their own packages.
By selecting phrases that reflect their values and offer comfort and strength, they can complete a package that becomes a meaningful gift to themselves or to others.
With their completed packages in hand, visitors can then move to the Photo Zone, where they can dress up as postal workers and take photos.
Through this exhibition journey, visitors create not only their own packages but also their own messages.
The completed package ultimately becomes a gift—either for oneself or for others—at the end of the year.
This act of completing ‘something personal’ through a single exhibition experience reflects today’s cultural trend of customization.
Writing letters of empathy—sharing stories about one another’s experiences, situations, and emotions,
and offering words of comfort to build mutual understanding—captures the true significance of this exhibition.
Contrary to initial concerns that visitors might hesitate to write, many have instead contributed heartfelt
or humorous letters, enriching the exhibition’s content. Visitors take home letters that resonate with them
or move them emotionally, engaging in a genuine exchange of empathy and comfort.
As organizers, we too are not merely planners but participants—reading the letters written by visitors,
discovering the diversity of their stories, and finding comfort in that shared humanity.
