French philosopher Jacques Derrida represents the idea that pure hospitality is unconditional. It is about a radical exposure to the other.

 

During our "Laughing Waters Artist in Residency "at the Birrarung House in Eltham we thought of ways to get to know our new neighbours. We started making an writing them postcards with the invitation to write us a postcard back. We posted 100 postcards, the route for the postcard delivery started from Laughing Waters Road, along Mount Pleasant Road ending at Main Road. With the harvested postcards & stories we created a subjective map of Mount Pleasant and Laughing Waters Road.

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A welcome without why. Derrida is asking us to make a leap of faith in the stranger as unknowable and unpredictable other. He acknowledges that such hospitality is impossible; but he suggests we should strive for it anyway.