Letter Of Time

2025
Augmented Reality
Lens Studio, Tripo AI

A conceptual exploration of memory, self, and time through AR and physical letters.

Concept
Letter of Time is a conceptual project that envisions a way to capture and preserve personal memories over time. The idea is to write a letter each year, recording meaningful memories—special people, events, sounds, and reflections. Alongside each letter, a 3D scan of oneself would be sealed within, creating a time capsule of that moment. Years later, opening these letters would allow a person to "meet" their past selves and reflect on their journey of growth.

This project serves as a demo to explore how physical memories and digital experiences can merge, offering new ways to preserve and revisit personal history.

Why Use 3D Models?
Compared to flat images, 3D models create a stronger sense of reality. Photographs often leave me wondering, "Did I really live through that moment?" In contrast, a 3D-recorded version feels more vivid—viewable from multiple angles, offering a fuller, more immersive memory of the past.

Why physical letters + AR ?
I chose a physical envelope and letter as the medium because, although people rarely write letters nowadays, I still cherish the sincerity and ritualistic value they once held, and the emotional warmth it brings. As a child, whenever I received a handwritten letter from a friend, I would carefully store it in a box, as it was more than just a piece of paper—it was a memory worth cherishing.

In the same way, I want to archive each version of myself year by year, carefully sealed within an envelope, waiting for the day in the future when it will be opened and revisited.

Therefore, I hope to give letters new life and meaning through AR, transforming them from mere text into a more immersive memory vessel. By integrating 3D visuals, sound, and interactive experiences, memories become more vivid, allowing my past self to be presented in a more concrete and realistic form and revisited in a more immersive way.

Another reason I chose to combine AR with physical letters is that I want memories to be not only touched but also experienced in multiple dimensions.
For me, the memories carried by physical objects feel more real than those in a purely digital world. Childhood toys, faded photo albums, and handwritten notes—only when I physically touch them do I truly believe they once existed. But if everything exists solely in the virtual space, it begins to feel like a dream, lacking a true sense of presence.

Memory Coordinates
Due to my studies and work, I move to different places every year. To capture these transitions, I have drawn a floor plan of my past residence and marked its address, recording that I once existed in this space.

By scanning these drawings with AR, my past self reappears, allowing me to reconnect with both the space and the memories tied to it.

This is not just a way to document physical locations; it is a way to preserve my past self within the living spaces of that time. To me, every place I have lived carries unique memories, holding symbolic and representative significance. They have witnessed my growth and transformation, becoming the coordinates of my personal history.

01 Open the letter from 2024, which records my memories from that year.

02 Scan the floor plan on the letter (representing the rental apartment I lived in during 2024) using a phone, and the text "25-year-old me!" will appear.

03 Tap the "25-year-old me!" text on the phone screen, and a 3D version of my past self will appear, along with the cat I had in that apartment. The text "My favorite song is?" will also appear.

04 Tap the "My favorite song is?" text, and the scene will transition to a music box.

05 Tap "Play" to start playing the music.

06 Tap "Stop" to stop the music.

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