Ink to Ash to Diamond Project
The Ink to Ash to Diamond Project was an innovative idea thought up by letter discoverer Mark Hignett and artist Olivia Winteringham. This saw a modified post box located on the Bailey Head in Oswestry during the Heritage Open Days Festival in September 2017 and an appeal for folks to come along and post their 'secret love' letters in the post box.
The secret was of course that they could write about their most secret thoughts and loves in the knowledge that when they posted their letters in the post box, they were immediately incinerated . So, having got their thoughts out into the open, in many cases for the first time in their lives, their secrets remained safe.
Once the festival was over, the ashes of the secret love letters were collected and sent away to be compressed into a diamond, the colour chosen by everyone who posted a letter.
There are many stories of folks who came to post their letters, some who stayed to chat, others who simply posted their letters and left and some quite emotional moments.
The flame was turned of at 7.41 pm on the Sunday evening as of course 7.41 on the 24 hour clock in 1941, which is the year that most of Gilbert and Gordon's letters were written to each other.
In February 2018 the group organised a 1940's style tea dance in Oswestry memorial hall with a number of invited guests and a period swing bad. At the tea dance some of Gordon's relatives officially presented Mark from Oswestry Town Museum with a golden signet ring. The band was formed of clasped hands and the ring itself had Gilbert and Gordon's names on the outside of the band. The top of the ring contained a red diamond in the centre grown from the ashes of the secret love letters that had been posted and burnt, and was inscribed with the words "then all the world could see how in love we are", a direct quote from one of Gordon's letters to Gilbert.
The Ink to Ash to Diamond Project resulted in another viral uptake of Gilbert and Gordon's story and again interest from around the world.
Pictures of the tea dance and close up of the red diamond ring.