The Dead Letter Society | 2016

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The US Postal Service started a Dead Letter Office in 1825 to deal with undeliverable mail. By 1893, it handled about 20,000 items every day. Today, approximately 90 million undeliverable-as-addressed items end up in this facility every year. Before the correspondence is destroyed to protect customer privacy, enclosed items of value are removed and archived. Can you imagine what this place must look like? 

 

Inspired by the work of Mark Dion and Mail Artists across the globe, campers at Deerfield Academy Summer Arts Camp created an interactive, immersive installation called The Dead Letter Society.