The Vanishing Letters

The Vanishing Letters is a computational installation that examines the instability of memory and identity through generative text.

Two screens present contrasting temporal rhythms of language. One rapidly scrolls fragmented lines that vanish before they can be fully read, while the other slowly reveals reflective passages that gradually fade from view. Both streams are generated by an AI text model, producing language that appears momentarily coherent before dissolving again.

Visitors can contribute short reflections through a “memory capsule” interface. These anonymous entries briefly merge with the generative flow before disappearing, reinforcing the work’s central structure: an archive that continuously forms and erases itself.

Printed AI-generated letters provide a temporary counterpoint to the digital stream. Though physically fixed, they remain unstable as meaning shifts between human memory and machine interpretation.

Through this interplay of generation, disappearance, and participation, The Vanishing Letters reflects on what remains of personal narrative once language itself becomes computational material.