In a moment of isolation, constant uncertainty and loneliness, looking back at nature is a way to feel grounded and create a sanctuary where we can feel safe and find calm. Our frenetic lifestyles and digital ways of communication have blinded us to the beauty that surrounds us, and maybe one positive side of this pandemic is that we have been able to return to nature and to more human ways to connect with others and ourselves.

Inês and Negar’s exchange is a beautiful reflection on how we are all part of a huge garden – we are delicate flowers that came from a seed, flowers that need love, sun, water; and how, at the same time, we are gardeners, we are caretakers of (each) other’s flowers.

The universality of plants, as well as their individuality, makes a perfect connection between two women, two artists, two gardeners and two flowers. Photography is by excellence the medium that captures instant memories, and the postcard format is the perfect material to travel between countries.

A quote from a book, news about the flowers in the garden, lines about life and quietness, a jasmine blossom ... Sometimes the back of the postcard seems too small, other times the blank space surrounds just the few words needed for the occasion. Sharing words and images, one on each side of a piece of paper, waiting for it to get to its destination and hoping to get one in exchange, becomes an act of resilience in a world where we are used to immediacy ... a beautiful and patient ritual that reminds us we are not alone even after the hardest of seasons.

It is said that the irony of loneliness is that we feel it at the same time; hence it is not coincidental that during these times we reach out to share our aloneness and make it feel lighter, that we share the delicacy of a seed becoming a flower so we can feel hopeful once more.

Paulina Lara