AS efficient as email is, nothing beats the simple pleasure of receiving a letter through the post.

During the Presteigne Festival, Mid Border Arts are hosting an exhibition, Pushing the Envelope, at the Assembly Rooms in Presteigne.

Showcasing artworks created on envelopes, the exhibition celebrates the world’s first postage stamp – the Penny Black. The exhibition is both colourful and playful and demonstrates that pen and paper still have a huge aesthetic appeal in an age of digital communication.

The Pushing the Envelope exhibition was kick started by Neil Hadfield, Illustration Course Leader at Hereford College of Arts. The college worked collaboratively with Katie Nairne of House of Illustration in London; the UK's only public gallery dedicated solely to illustration which was founded by Sir Quentin Blake. Together with the Hay Literary Festival they invited an international array of artists and illustrators to create embellished envelopes using a mix of mediums. From collage, to paint, to typographic designs, each artist made their mark on the back of an envelope and then posted it to London.

The work has made its way from across the globe, from Europe to Japan and the USA and even as far as Australia.

Neil Hafield will talk about the exhibition and how its makers were inspired to contribute to the project on Sunday, August 28 at 5pm.

(Event 18 of The Presteigne Festival - tickets available online at presteignefestival.com).

Pushing the Envelope runs from August 25-30 at The Assembly Rooms in Presteigne from 10am – 5pm daily. Access cannot be guaranteed at all times because of Presteigne Festival talks and performances.