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PETER, Love letters

Love Letters is a participatory writing installation, warm-up score, and open practice that invites people to gather and write letters to, for, and with love in all its forms. Originally created as a central pillar of the durational performance project Along-Side, it functions both as a standalone public installation/workshop and as a reflective framing device for larger choreographic events.

Overview & Concept

In an era defined by fast communication, efficiency, and shrinking public space, Love Letters proposes writing as a slow, collective, and somatic act.

Taking place inside museum spaces, galleries, libraries, or community halls, Love Letters sets up a soft, drop-in environment provided with paper, pens, and gentle facilitation. Participants are invited to sit, reflect, converse, or simply write in quiet company.

The work treats love not merely as romantic sentiment, but as an asymmetrical relation: a commitment to staying with what cannot be resolved, an archive of grief and joy, and a gesture toward what was, what is, and what may come.

Key Features & Structure

  • Participatory & Voluntary: Visitors are free to drop in and out as they wish, staying for five minutes or several hours. Participation is flexible—writing, reading, talking, or simply sharing space are all valid forms of presence.
  • Multilingual & Inclusive: Facilitated to support local languages and non-native speakers (e.g., English, Swedish). No prior writing or artistic experience is required.
  • Collective Archive / Installation: Letters written during the session may be taken home by participants, sent, or left behind as a growing physical display within the space—forming an evolving public archive of affection, memory, and presence.
  • Versatile Adaptation: Can run as a continuous 4–6 hour daily drop-in session over multiple days, or as an intimate scheduled workshop/reflection lounge paired with surrounding performances.

Technical & Hosting Requirements

  • Space: Quiet, comfortable indoor space (gallery, studio, foyer, library, or museum room) with table seating or floor cushions.
  • Materials: High-quality paper, envelopes, pens, writing surfaces, and display/hanging elements for left-behind letters.
  • Facilitation: Led by Peter Mills alongside guest performers or local hosts/facilitators.
  • Duration: Flexible (typically 4–6 hours per day as a continuous installation, or 90–120 minute workshop modules).

Credits & History

  • Created by: Peter Mills
  • Key Facilitators & Collaborators: Peter Mills, Rachel Tess, Nellie Björklund, and local host institutions.
  • Selected Iterations:
    • Axel Ebbes Konsthall / Trelleborg, Sweden (as part of the Along-Side residency & performance cycle)
    • MARC (Milvus Artistic Research Center), Sweden

Archival Note & Presenter Inquiries

Love Letters is available for booking as a standalone participatory installation, a hosted community workshop, or a contextual prelude/postlude to choreographic works and residencies.

For inquiries regarding hosting, adaptation, or archival materials, please contact: Peter Mills — www.stillpeter.com