Andy Warhol was notorious for many things, but you may not know that one of them was his “Time Capsules”. The artist would collect ephemera, art, and other inspirational items used as source material for his work. The items were boxed, catalogued and archived for a subsequent unveiling. He began boxing these capsules in 1974, and they went virtually undiscovered until after his passing in 1987. The Warhol Museum has been unveiling the Time Capsules as part of it’s “Out of the Box” program where full time cataloguers manage the archiving and documenting of the contents of over 617 capsules created by the artist.
This unique live unveiling was just posted by the Museum and it is a fascinating glimpse into the artist’s life.
For Information Science nerds, voyeurs and fans of the artist, this footage is fascinating. It got me thinking about my own time capsule. If I had to create one for 2012, what would I put in it? Limiting myself to 5 items (including Art, Food Fashion and Music) that sum up 2012 here’s what they would be:
1. My “Keep Calm and Listen to Hip Hop” shirt. Because, let’s face it, we just can’t get enough of the many iterations of Keep Calm can we?
2. Yayoi Kusama Dots. Had I purchased a piece from the Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton handbag collection, I’d include the box and a piece of the gift wrapped tissue paper (mais non, not the bag!). Why? I just think Yayoi Kusama had a fantastic year. She hit the cultural trifecta in 2012 (Whitney and Tate retrospectives in addition to the LV collab)
3. The only person that had a bigger year than Yayoi Kusama was probably Psy, so I probably would have to include a copy of “Gangam Style”, just for laughs. But jokes aside, my musical contribution would be the first album my husband produced this year. I was really proud of it.
4. And in the inanimate realm, the only “thing” that had a bigger year than Psy is KALE. Kale was EVERYWHERE in 2012. I’d include a bag of dried Kale Chips that would probably disintegrate into a green pile of dust…Or maybe I would include a can of Warhol designed Campbell’s Tomato Soup from Target, just for the irony of it all.
5. Lastly, I would include a copy of Newsweek. After 79 years the magazine will discontinue it’s print version. The poignancy of that decision is quite sobering. To include a magazine in an antiquated conceptual relic such as a time capsule seems befitting. I can’t help but wonder if the “digital” versions of time capsules will capture the same sense of mystery, excitement and wonder as the old ones do.
What about you? If you could capture the essence of 2012 in a time capsule, what would you put in your box?
I’d love to hear from you!
Culture Shock Art 
Great list! Let’s see…
1. My Kindle Touch – totally changed my life!
2. Empty CD case – I haven’t bought a single CD this year because nothing has been good enough to purchase in physical form.
3. My laptop – how could I survive without all the cat and cute animal memes?
4. Coconut water – I don’t believe the hype but I still find myself drinking this expensive shit.
5. Postcard from my 1st art show (totally self-indulgent, I know!)
These are great Supahcute! I especially love the fact that you would include something from your first show. That was a key accomplishment! I don’t get coconut water either, but I drink it too! (I blend it with watermelon and mint and convinced myself that it’s a good recovery drink after working out…)
Well chosen list; I think for essence of 2012 maybe that Youtube video of the kid who didn’t like Bronco Bamma.and Mitt Romney I knew exactly how she felt – it seemed to dominate the whole of 2012 and it wasn’t even our presidential election. I am so relieved it’s over and of course that Obama won. On the Warhol time capsule I think it is way too soon to open them – these things should be left for at least 100 years. Opening it now is a bit like having a sneaky look at Christmas presents three weeks early.
Haha! A sneaky look indeed, but I am so curious about them! They should do what my husband did as a child and box ’em back up 🙂 Regarding the election, thank you for your comments, I couldn’t agree more and I often wondered what our global peers thought about the entire process. I for one am weary, but relieved with the outcome.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for your post on Warhol’s time capsule. I am intrigued by the video unveiling & the “Out of the Box Project”. Those are 3 lucky museum workers to get to do that for a living. Hope you’ll have an opportunity to attend an unveiling in person someday.
My 2012 box would include: My Nook w/ 3 classics I read this year, 1) The Tenant of
Wildfell Hall by Ann Bronte; 2) The Sound and the Fury and 3) Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner. Not exposed to classics until college & then it was forced labor not pleasure, in my retirement I’ve learned to really appreciate & enjoy reading, dissecting and learning on my own. 4)Prompted by the PBS production of Les Miserables’ 25th anniversary production in London I went to see the live production when it came to my city, so my program would have an honored place in my box. 5) Finally, my little stove-top 1-cup espresso maker that makes the best Latte to accompany my reading pleasure.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention there were a few other videos on that U-Tube link ironically about Faulkner that I’ll explore.
Excellent reading list for your Nook Ann! LOL at “forced labor” reading in college 😉