I can’t claim much credit for this project, but I’m very happy to be part of it. The Time Traveller’s Bureau is a one-room installation at the Story Museum, as part of their Other Worlds exhibition. It initially existed for one month in May 2012, during which we asked visitors to write a letter and address it to themselves. We then sent it one year into the future, when it was delivered, unopened, to their door.
This simple idea was executed brilliantly by writer Anelia Varela and designer Shaun Lawley. Shaun’s poster designs and Bureau logo are fantastic and before the exhibition even opened, the Museum asked if they could start selling them as postcards. The Bureau also had a twitter feed: @timebureau.
My role was best described as sanity check. I edited some copy, embossed some envelopes, hung some pictures and lugged some furniture. And in May 2013, I stamped and posted 600+ letters from the past.
“…the most exciting exhibition currently on display anywhere in Britain. They knock the overpriced and overhyped spots off anything by Damien Hirst, for sure, and leave your mind buzzing with excitement from what you’ve experienced and for the potential storyteller within each of us… You’ll stumble across the ‘Time Traveller’s Bureau’, from where you can post a letter to your future self. The attention to detail here is terrific and each glance reveals another cleverly crafted detail.”
Oxford City Guide
David Varela 