TRASHY TALES: A TCP UNDER CONSIDERATION

I read that if the human species were to go extinct, our landfills may be the most telling things we leave behind. It totally makes sense, doesn't it?

I have been thinking about sifting through trash (don't know what kind of trash yet) and letting it tell me a story. Interestingly enough, I am way behind on my house chores so maybe this is an opportune time! I know all of this sounds sick but let's just concentrate on the possibilities... the rich visual narrative that trash can tell.

I just took out the trash and recyclables, in hopes of some inspiration. Given the icky-sticky hot summer we've been having, trash is at its most fierce, so the thought of sifting through heaps of it in hopes of finding a story is upsetting. I think I just got a hive.

TCPP02: WARHOL TIME CAPSULE PROJECT (TCP)

This is my chinese medicine cabinet also known as my pride and joy. It is my favorite piece of furniture not only because it is beautiful, but also because I believe it has luck. It is a piece that I would probably never have the gall (and likely, the funds) to buy. As the Lord would have it, however, I received it as a gift from my husband's ex-partner. He had been renting a beautiful loft space in Union Square, which he decorated beautifully with antiques such as these. When he moved out of the space a couple of years ago, he let me choose from three oriental chests. Of them, this was clearly the most beautiful but also the most impractical given its massive size and oddly shaped drawers. The draws are about 5x20x5 inches. Each contains dividers that create four 4x4x4 inch compartments. Though this is a perfect design for chinese medicinal herbs, you'd agree it's the worst possible choice for a typical New Yorker who is always in need of more space. But truly, I have never regretted my decision.

Oh Chinese Medicine Chest, thou whilst be honoured!

For the past couple of months, I have been using this beloved piece of furniture as a vessel for time travel. It is a time capsule project (TCP) in progress, created to commemorate my 8 final months in New York, before I move to Hotlanta.

note: TCP stands for Time Capsule Project. A TCP is what I am calling the personal projects I undertake, for thesis, that aim to understand and illustrate the different properties of time capsules.

What inspired this project is Andy Warhol's Time Capsules. In 1974, Warhol created time capsules that contained the day-to-day items that surrounded him. In his office, he kept an opened brown box that he would gradually filled with items that passed through his hands, including photographs, newspapers, cards, and work receipts. Once the box was filled, he would seal it up, mark it with the date or a title, and ship it off to his warehouse. Up until his death in 1987, he was able to finish 612 boxes.

Based on Warhol's design, I began to wonder whether i could create a similar project. What would the items I touch everyday say about me? I could collect these items over a period of time and then review them at a set time in the future. My only concern was, and still is, that the mundane items of my life would be so incredibly mundane, they would be utterly boring. After all, unlike Andy, I am not a pop celebrity.

Even if we say, for the sake of argument, that I was adopted by the Kardashians and suddenly identifiable by first name, Kristine, I still don't have the advantage of living in Andy's print-rich era. He was showered by postcards, hand-written letters, work orders, carbon copies, flyers, and photographs. Today, all of these items have been replaced by digital media. They no longer exist in our modern world as tactile items. They exist in a fourth dimension.

But I decided to move forward with it anyway. In the end, even if the TCP does not prove anything aesthetically or communicatively, at the very least, I have used my power to move a few mundane items from the past into the future. I used my powers to take control of their destiny... isn't that cool enough?

Instead of explaining the TCP all over again, I am lazily copying/pasting a journal entry I wrote describing it, on March 23, 2011:

"

3/23/2011

Where are you now?

On March 1^st, I started my own time capsule. I didn’t really define it any real way. It’s more of an organic project as of now. I am using my Chinese medicine cabinet to store what I can throughout the months leading up to my graduation in December: 1) March, (2) April, (3) May, (4) June, (5) July, (6) August, (7) September, (8) October, (9) November.

I will have nine months to gather items for this project. Each drawer represents a month. Each drawer has 4 compartments- each representing a week. Like all time capsules, we have size/space issues. We also can’t put anything in there that will perish.

Like I said, during week one, I really didn’t have a method by any means. I just planned out the timing- to be opened in December or reviewed for this thesis… so in all likelihood, I may only have 8 months. Which is fine. 8 is a symbolically significant number. 8 minutes for the light of the sun to hit the earth. If it were to go out, we wouldn’t begin to feel its affects for 8 minutes. There is a lapse in time here… didn’t think about that did you? Time is defined by space. Scientifically speaking, and as an observable, time doesn’t exist without space.

Anyway, space and preservation is a common problem built into the ideas of time capsules. Another issue is remembering it. Since I have a small amount of time and a singular focus on my thesis these days, it’s not hard for me to remember to ptu stuff in here. However, it also helps that I live in a tiny apartment and the Chinese medicine cabinet is literally located in the center of it. How I came across this cabinet is another story.

Anyway, first week, I began to notice that due to the limits in space, I was very strained in what I could put in there. I was reluctant to collect receipts and other types of archaic trash (especially archaic in today’s digital age). But it was too soon to judge whether such articles would be telling later on. I also stayed away from pristine artifacts b/c in addition to the item itself, I wanted it to tell an additional story with its use pattern.

I also told myself that I wouldn’t review the contents until the very end. I expect that in the end, the gestalt of each month will come through and tell me a lot about my approach from month to month. Perhaps even week to week. I also want to keep the project as natural as I can without much editing. I don’t want it to feel contrived in the end.

I’ve noticed that it is hard to come by items that are worth saving or seem to tbe case. But maybe I should get away from this idea because as I learn and reflect more upon time capsules, I realize that they are somewhat interpretive. This is a just a project for myself- no need ot formalize the message… I know my audience. I know for the most part what will evoke my future emotion and/or not. But who knows?

"

THE ELEMENT OF TIME

In my research and meditations on TIME CAPSULES, it seems impossible to avoid the question of TIME itself. TIME is, after all, the road on which TIME CAPSULES travel and should therefore be principally understood.

The most common thought is that TIME flows in one direction and does so at an absolute rate (according to Einstein's Law of Relativity). The image of the "arrow of time" lends itself to this concept. It is the explanation behind our ability to recollect the past but not the future and in our propensity to grow older and not younger. In this model, TIME could be portrayed as a 2-dimensional line in space.

String Theorists believe that space contains more dimensions than our perceivable 3, and so one might question, could the same be true of TIME? Could TIME exist in additional dimensions that our species cannot detect? And if so, TIME could actually look more like a 3-D shape than a 2-D line.

In "Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freemon (Episode: "Does Time Really Exist?)," this concept is illustrated through the lives of surface water bugs who skim the tops of streams, oblivious to the frogs who lurk beneath them, ready to attack. Are we like these water bugs? Are we oblivious to the dimensions that exist beyond us, leaving us vulnerable to a world we cannot perceive?

interlude: horseplay

my sister was in town for a couple of days to help me celebrate my birthday. we went to see the savage beauty exhibit at the Met and also did our usual tour of the MoMA. though we are 30 and 32 years old, respectively, we still like to horse around whenever we're together. in fact, here's an example captured on video, which has been elevated from horseplay to fine art thanks to Paul Sharits' installation.

THE WHOLE FIRST...

"For peace to reign on Earth, humans must evolve into new beings who have learned to see the whole first." - Immanuel Kant.

The Crypt of Civilization (1940-8113).

Though we are all subject to its power, time is an enigmatic force that even the brightest and enlightened minds cannot deign to understand. Though we are the only species on earth known to be cognizant of time, our 'cognizance' is simply a self-conceived construct to help us cope with its perplexing and pervasive properties.

Scientifically, we've accepted the concept of linear and forward-moving time, but even this is based on theory. Once we start to question the substance of time, we must then question our very own existence. It is no wonder that ruminations on time have been with us from the beginning and will likely stay with us forever, or at least until its secrets are revealed.

Ancient commemorative burial sites in China, Europe, and Egypt signify an instinctual understanding of linear time and that in order for something to persist into the future, it must be preserved in the present. In fact it was in 1922, with the discovery of King Tut's tomb that there arose a sudden and global craze to capture the zeitgeist of an era and send it valiantly into the future.

This craze was led by the creators of the Westinghouse Time Capsule of Cupaloy (1939-6939) and the Crypt of Civilization (1940-8113). In fact, the term "time capsule" was created as a marketing tool for the New York World's Fair for which the Westinghouse Time Capsule was created and buried.

Since then, there have been many manifestations of time capsule projects at all scales and scopes. The term itself is loosely thrown around to identify anything that is preserved (purposefully or not) and revealed in some future space-time. As Merriam-Webster puts it, a time capsule is “a container holding historical records or objects representative of current culture that is deposited for preservation until discovery by some future age.”

Time capsules are created to preserve something that we expect to lose or evolve from in the future. However, because they are limited in physical dimensions, their contents must be whittled down to the essentials, leaving nothing but a comprehensive 'message.' In order to effectuate this message, the time capsule must undergo a dormancy period before its presentation to the future audience.

I have researched several large-scale time capsule projects and though they vary to large degrees, from a design perspective they all seem to share 4 characteristics.

Time capsules are:

1) communication vehicles to the future, that must transcend space and time.

2) graphic narratives, representing a past era through graphic, and often tactile, means.

3) future exhibitions whose manifestation should be intrinsic its design.

4) commemorative of a past era or existence and require the design of a supporting cultural or commemorative ritual to engage the present-day generation who are really the engine that move the vessels into the future.

Forgetting the rusty tin box image that organically appears when we consider the term, time capsule, I want to create new time capsule projects that meet these 4 criteria but also offer a new perspective. The ISE POSTCARDS PROJECT was one such manifestation. I'll be working on a few more...

TCPP01: 9 YEARS IN MANHATTAN DIARIES

TEN years ago, I moved to Manhattan. It's hard to understand the past ten years without a larger reference of space and time. We often recollect minor memories by associating them to more significant events; they serve as lampposts within our hall of memories.

I have a particularly bad memory so in December of 2002, when I discovered the Manhattan Diary created by Per Annum, Inc., I thought it would be a good way to help me keep track the recent past and near future. I've been keeping one ever since, which means I now have 8 completed journals and 1 still in progress.

It's a rather small journal thus putting constraints on how much I can write each day. Even with small handwriting, I am only able to capture distanced and abbreviated details of the day. When I was concerned with it, I would list the things I ate that day. Sometimes, I would write inspirational quotes. Other times, I wouldn't write at all. But, most days I did write and those entries might read something like this (2003.09.03 entry):

WORK. HOME. MOM MADE DINNER.

DANNY COMES OVER. EAT DINNER.

PUZZLE. TV. SLEEP.

For my thesis, I have been thinking about creating a time capsule project based on these journals. The time capsule project would be a commemoration of my time in Manhattan. As I move on with my life to a new space and time (Atlanta, GA circa January 2012), I anticipate that I'll often want to look back to this period of my life. But instead of flipping through 365 days X 9 years of information, I might want to see this information holistically, in a more object-oriented fashion.

Info-graphics (charts, diagrams, graphs) summarizing certain aspects of the past 9 years seems to be the obvious design solution. This would be like a financial report illustrating activity over a span of 9 years. When I shared this idea with my thesis advisor, he told me about Nicholas Felton, a graphic designer who designs an annual report each year about his personal life. Check him out here).

But, what kind of information might I want summarized?

(1) menstrual cycles (TMI? Sorry!)

(2) sundays I actually went to church

(3) days spent at work versus those spent playing

(4) span of days I didn't write anything

(5) days in manhattan vs days away

(6) cycles of shopping, eating out, drinking

etc...

The objective and target audience of the project will dictate its contents. I'll need to think about this some more and get back to you. In the meantime, if my limited readership has any feedback or ancillary thoughts, do feel free to share them!

MEMORIES = TIME CAPSULES

the memories we create are time capsule events.

they are a way of reconnecting our future selves to our past selves. the recollection of a memory is like the unveiling of any time capsule event, it can result in revelation or, more commonly, just some perspective.

time capsules are the visual embodiment of a memory.

what does a memory look like? a frankenstein of sewn-together blips of words and imagery, reduced to neurological signals in the brain. some reside in the deeper parts of the hippocampus while others lay out in plain sight, allowing one to easily reach for a casual anecdote.

what does a time capsule look like? it too is a hodge-podge of disconnected objects that are strewn together to create one thing. it is an economized and symbolic expression of the memorialized event. it too is hidden from plain view until the day it is unveiled in the future.

OBAMA TIME CAPSULES

this morning, i came across an ad for a customizable photo journal that answers the question: where were you when obama won the election? (ad for the book, below).

the book is filled with iconic photographs of the president shot by the author/photographer, rick smolan, as well as maps and info-graphics of the election results. but the kicker is that you may customize it by including pictures of yourself amongst smolan's professional shots. according to smolan, "half the people in the room picked up their cameras and took a photo of the television set just as obama won," so he came up with this customizable time capsule book.

the ad was posted in august 2009 and at the time, i believe it was selling for $35 though i just googled up a man selling his customized book for $250 on amazon! i have to say that the fact that there is a market for such time capsules is really surprising... but the more i think about it, i suppose it shouldn't be.

check out this slick video posted on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m3BTHN0VANG5A7/ref=ent_fb_link.

though i am definitely not smolan's target audience, i can appreciate the sentiment. when we remember larger events, we always do so from personal perspective. our memories are driven by our personal references to space and time; it is our way of connecting to and coping with the world around us. so it is no doubt that questions in the form of "where were you when...?" are prevalent in the daily world of conversation. and it is common to engage in the question. it's a way of connecting two individuals separated in space to one point in time.

the memories we create are time capsule events. they are a way of reconnecting our future selves to our past selves. the recollection of a memory is like the unveiling of any time capsule event, it can result in revelation but more likely, just some perspective.

TCPP00: ISE POSTCARD PROJECT

One of the interesting things that I discovered in my research was the ISE SHRINE of Japan. Built about 1500 years ago, the temple is taken apart and rebuilt every 20 years. The tradition not only embodies Shinto ideals of ephemerality and the death and renewal of all things, it is also a means of engaging the present day generations in an ancient tradition that passes on the building technique from one generation to the next.

The concept of actively engaging the present-day generation in a past-time ritual seemed pretty radical to me amidst the time capsule projects I had studied which undergo strict dormancy periods of 1000 years or more. Challenging this idea of dormancy led me to define a new time capsule project that is also born of my personal experience.

As I posted earlier today (in SPACE, TIME, & GRAPHIC DESIGN), I moved around a lot throughout my life and whenever I did it was through handwritten letters that I kept in touch with the friends I left behind. I had religiously saved these letters and it was these artifacts that helped me reconcile myself with each new space and time. But handwritten letters are a dying means of conversing and though it is definitely not as convenient as what the internet offers, its death takes with it certain tactile qualities that digital media cannot replicate.

Digital correspondence has also changed the way we see time itself. A lag in correspondence today is really a very short span of time compared to the lags built into handwritten correspondence where spans of days, weeks, even months are acceptable. The difference in the concept of time essentially changes the content of communication itself where larger lapses of time must be captured within the smaller physical limits of a page or a postcard.

The ISE POSTCARD PROJECT doesn't seek to make social commentary on digital communication, but to rather engage others in an exercise that actively preserves a dying culture of handwritten letters and to also view the "Now" as a longer span of time.

The ISE POSTCARD PROJECT takes place as follows:

1. Pictured here is a unified stack of two sets of postcards, perforated in the middle.

2/3. The post cards are meant to be split between two people who then engage in handwritten dialogue, which they send to each other via postal service.

4. When the dialogue is completed, each participant only has half of the dialogue and the half that isn't their own.

5. It is only when they come together that the entire picture is experienced and the full extent of the dialogue is realized.

(Images taken from my Thesis I presentation to faculty).

SPACE, TIME, & GRAPHIC DESIGN

I've taken about a month's break from my thesis topic on Time Capsules so I figure it's time to start back up. I am hoping this blog will help focus some of my fragmented thoughts and to attain outside perspective from the obligated readership of friends and family.

My instincts tell me to tread lightly with this because whenever I explain my thesis topic to friends in the program, I am often met with furrowed brows and polite gestures masking a cynical, 'good luck with that.' But I take this with a grain of salt for all along the battle has been to explain a rather complex connection between Time Capsules and Graphic Design, not to prove its relevance. For the sake of succinctness, I will not explain this connection (at least, not in this entry) but instead embark on explaining why the topic has meaning to me at all.

I guess it all begins with my own archetypal instincts to understand space and time. The first time I grappled with the concept was when I moved from my rural hometown of Plymouth, Massachusetts to Seoul, Korea in 1988. I was only 9, and prior to this the only other Koreans I had met were my family members so the change could not have been more dramatic. I learned early on that there was a larger universe that existed in dimensions way beyond myself and that even the incremental passing of time could result in infinite change.

The largest difficulty was reconciling between my polar opposite existences as a small-town American girl and foreigner living in the bustling city of Seoul. As I evolved into this new existence, I became disconnected with my former self and needed a way of keeping ground. What helped me acclimate were the artifacts of my previous space-time; namely my Barbie and the Rockers doll and my third grade class picture, to name a couple. The tactility of these objects were proof that my former self had actually existed and that she still existed somewhere inside of me.

I would move yet another 4 times in my life and each time was a new challenge in self-reflection and re-acclimatization. What I learned in 1988 would help me to see relevance in the objects around me and the bigger ideas they could represent. This resulted in the ceremonious accumulation of photographs, letters, journals, and souvenirs that I would later survey with melancholy reflection at various times of displacement. Though I did not dub it so at the time, I had created time capsules for myself, to be opened and reflected upon in a future space and time.

I have felt, personally, the power of communicating across an abyss of space and time even if that communication was to myself. The efforts alone have resulted in a better understanding of who I am, how I became this way, and who I want to be. How much more of an impact could a time capsule make if tackled at a global scale? But, as much as I know myself in the present, I cannot foretell who I will be tomorrow or years from now and therein lies the difficulty in constructing a time capsule that will be heartily felt in the future, especially at a global scale.

I am not looking to take on the challenge of defining the ultimate time capsule, but to instead assert the new and tangible forms they may take. But I'll save that conversation for a future space and time...