Capturing Time: The New York Times Capsule (Exhibition)

Exist Dates

1999 December 4 - 2000 March 26

Biographical or Historical Note

abstract

Exhibition. Opened December 4, 1999 and closed March 26, 2000. Located on Floor 2 in the Akeley Gallery at the American Museum of Natural History. Capturing Time: The New York Times Capsule featured The New York Times Capsule and explored concepts of time and the history of time capsules.

Summary

Capturing Time: The New York Times Capsule featured the New York Times Capsule and explored concepts of time and the history of time capsules. The New York Times Capsule, which was commissioned by the New York Times and installed in the plaza of the Museum’s Weston Pavillion, was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Craig Morris, Senior Vice President and Dean of Science at the Museum, curated the exhibition. Selected in an international competition launched by New York Times Magazine, Calatrava’s 5’ x 5’ x 5’ sculpture of welded stainless steel was designed to resemble a flower. The capsule was designed to preserve key artifacts representing life in the late 20th century with plans to be opened in the year 3000 (1; 2).

Sections in the exhibition were (1, p. 2-6):

*Introduction

*What is Time?: Time and the Universe, Time and Biology, Time and Civilization, Encapsulating Time

*Notable Entries in the Competition: Antenna Design New York, Inc. (U.S.); Caples Jefferson Architects (U.S.); Cooper Union (U.S.); Kenji Ekuan, GK Design Group (Japan); Wes Jones (U.S.); Jaron Lanier (U.S.); Maya Lin (U.S.); Jurgen Bey for Droog Design (Netherlands); Ocean (Finland, Norway, Germany); Dagmar Richter (Germany); Pentagram (U.S.); Greg Lynn & Jeffrey Kipnis (U.S.); Morphosis (U.S.)

*Santiago Calatrava

*Contents of the Times Capsule

Highlights in the Contents of the Times Capsule included (1, p. 6):

*The six millennium issues of the New York Times Magazine, one set printed on archival acid-free paper and the other on an HD-Rosetta data disc from NORSAM Technologies

*Solid nickel LP recording with excerpts from popular songs, daily sounds, and five one-minute audio portraits of New York City sounds recorded at 9:09 am on September 9, 1999

Other items on display included (1, p. 6-7):

*A soccer jersey and bottle of sweet water from Brazil

*An Armed Forces Purple Heart

*A cellphone

*A beeper

*A Beanie Baby

*A piece of barbed wire

*A ceremonial chair from Zimbabwe

*A vial of penicillin

*A parking ticket from France

*Section 17 of the Indian Constitution abolishing untouchability

Two New York Times computer stations allowed visitors to enter their own suggestions for items to be included in the Times Capsule (1, p. 7).

The exhibition was designed and executed by the Museum’s Department of Exhibition under the direction of Vice President for Exhibition, David Harvey. Key exhibition and design services were provided by Gerhard Schlanzky, Eric Janssen, Jayne Hertko, Lauri Halderman, Robert Vinci, Nancy Falkin, Frank Rasor, Deborah Barral, and Steve Warsavage (1, p. 7).

This is a condensed summary of the exhibition. For additional information, see Sources and/or Related Resources.

Sources

(1) American Museum of Natural History. Press Release. "Capturing Time: The New York Times Capsule." December 1999. Departmental Records, DR 101. American Museum of Natural History Library.

(2) American Museum of Natural History. Press Release. "The New York Times Capsule Installed in Ceremony at American Museum of Natural History’s Weston Pavillion." April 26, 2001. Departmental Records, DR 101. American Museum of Natural History Library.

(3) American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 2000.

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Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names

American Museum of Natural History. Department of Exhibition.
Designed and executed exhibition (1, p. 4-5)

American Museum of Natural History. Gallery 77.
Location of exhibition 1999 December 4 – 2000 March 26 (3, p. 44)

Antenna Design New York, Inc.
Competition entry (1, p. 4-5)

Barral, Deborah
Exhibition and design services (1, p. 7)

Bey, Jurgen, 1965
Competition entry for Droog Design (1, p. 4-5)

Calatrava, Santiago, 1951-
Designed Times Capsule (1)

Caples Jefferson Architects
Competition entry (1, p. 4-5)

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Competition entry (1, p. 4-5)

Droog Design (Firm)
Competition entry from Jurgen Bey (1, p. 4-5)

Ekuan, Kenji, 1929-2015
Competition entry for GK Design Group (Jīkei Dezain Kikō, Kabushiki Kaisha) (1, p. 4-5)

Falkin, Nancy
Exhibition and design services (1, p. 7)

Halderman, Lauri
Exhibition and design services (1, p. 7)

Harvey, David 1950-
Exhibition designed and executed under his direction; vice president, Museum Department of Exhibition (1, p. 7)

Hertko, Jayne
Exhibition and design services (1, p. 7)

Janssen, Eric
Exhibition and design services (1, p. 7)

Jones, Wes 1958-
Competition entry (1, p. 4-5)

Jīkei Dezain Kikō, Kabushiki Kaisha
Competition entry from Kenji Ekuan; referred to as GK Design Group in Museum documentation (1, p. 4-5)

Kipnis, Jeffrey
Competition entry with Greg Lynn (1, p. 4-5)

Lanier, Jaron
Competition entry (1, p. 4-5)

Lin, Maya Ying
Competition entry (1, p. 4-5)

Lynn, Greg
Competition entry with Jeffrey Kipnis (1, p. 4-5)

Morphosis Architects
Competition entry (1, p. 4-5)

Morris, Craig 1939-2006
Curator of exhibition; Museum Senior Vice President and Dean of Science (1, p. 2)

New York Times
Institutional Partner; commissioned Times Capsule (1, p. 1; 2, p. 1)

Ocean
Competition entry (1, p. 4-5)

Pentagram
Competition entry (1, p. 4-5)

Rasor, Frank
Exhibition and design services (1, p. 7)

Richter, Dagmar, 1955-
Competition entry (1, p. 4-5)

Schlanzky, Gerhard M.
Exhibition and design services (1, p. 7)

Vinci, Robert
Exhibition and design services (1, p. 7)

Warsavage, Steve
Exhibition and design services (1, p. 7)

Related Resources

American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 2000.
Page 44

subjectOf

American Museum of Natural History. “Capturing Time: The New York Times Capsule.” Accessed 26 September 2018
Exhibition website

American Museum of Natural History. Press Kit. “Capturing Time: The New York Times Capsule..” [1999] DR 103a
Press releases

American Museum of Natural History press releases, 1933-1990s, DR 101
“Capturing Time: The New York Times Capsule.” December 1999; “Historian Daniel J. Boorstin is Choosing Capsule Keeper of Times Capsule at American Museum of Natural History.” March 2000; “The New York Times Capsule is Installed in Ceremony at American Museum of Natural History’s Weston Pavillion.” April 26, 2001; “The New York Times Capsule Unveiling April 26, 2001: Biographies.” April 2001; “The Contents of the Times Capsule.” April 2001; “Santiago Calatrava.” April 2001

American Museum of Natural History Special Collections vertical files
Repository: AMNH Special Collections [Folder with press releases, timeline, and artist biographies, December 5, 1998 issue of New York Times Magazine]

subjectOf

Capturing Time: The New York Times Capsule exhibition photographic slides. American Museum of Natural History Library Special Collections.
0.25 Linear Feet (1 box) 238 Photographic Slides : color ; 35 mm; Identifier: PSC 660

subjectOf

The New York Times Capsule.
Date of resource: [1999-2000]; Rare Folio RF-107-A, RF108-A, RF-109-A,RF-FF-21

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