Writing History is an autonomous art installation in which an industrial robotic arm literally writes—and erases—history within a glass vitrine.

The installation reveals how the present continuously becomes the past. Words and images appear on the glass, only to vanish seconds later. In this ongoing process, history is never fixed; it is constantly being rewritten.

Blending historical facts and real-time data
The robotic arm operates fully autonomously. It writes with a marker, erases with a sponge, and draws its content from an extensive database of historical facts and illustrations from Groningen. In addition, it responds to real-time data, including water levels, traffic flows, and weather conditions. This ensures that the installation is always up-to-date, ever-changing, and alive.

A precise and careful development
Creating the installation required a meticulous technical process. The team studied marker durability, how to keep the sponge perfectly moist, and how minimal tolerances in the glass affected the arm’s movements. A magnetic spring system was employed to achieve the optimal balance between marker, gripper, and glass. The vitrine, made of 200 kilos of steel, was specially designed to safely withstand the forces generated by the robotic arm.

Human-like presence
Despite its technical complexity, the robotic arm conveys an almost human presence. Subtle gestures—a pause, a slight ‘breathing’ motion, a corrected spelling mistake, a glance toward the text or a visitor—imbue the installation with a recognizable and friendly character.

Writing History is on view until April 6 as part of the pop-up exhibition of Museum aan de A at the Groninger Museum.

Client: Museum aan de A
Concept & Design: Paul&Albert
Programming, Robotics, Kinematics: Leander van Boven
Data Sources: Groninger Archieven
Data Feed / Management System: Tapart
Vitrine Production: Edobode
Other Production: Jaap Zandt, Bart Kempinga, Gerard van der Beek, Klaas van Driezum, Luminoxx
Photography: Roelof Bos
Film: Koen Leerink