— Czesław Miłosz
In the ancient art of memory (ars memoriae), a set of techniques (mnemotechnics) are used to aid acts of remembering and inspire reflection on the importance thereof. The lethatechnique focuses on Lethe instead of Mnemosyne and asks, if there is an art of memory, can there be an art of forgetting (ars oblivionis)? And if there are creative techniques for remembering, can there be creative techniques for forgetting (lethatechnics)?
The lethatechnique is an approach to documenting the presence of absence in music, drawings, paintings, photos, and writing. By seeking to reconcile the positive and negative qualities of forgetting, the lethatechnique does not outline an escape or devalue remembrance. Instead, it provides ways to challenge limitations, actively unlearn what is not useful, and seize creative opportunities before they are lost. The lethatechnique describes forgetting by encouraging mindfulness and building upon what has been forgotten, overlooked, or underestimated. In the end, the lethatechnique still remembers, and it still believes in the importance of memory.
Many thinkers have influenced the lethatechnique as described here, including Paul Ricoeur, Harald Weinrich, Umberto Eco, Nietzsche, W.G. Sebald, Samuel Beckett, Shunryu Suzuki, Chris Marker, and Czesław Miłosz.