Dear Friend:
I would like to invite you to participate in the creative long-term project: “The Open Time Capsule: Things We Want Our Children to Have.” On a national level and even on a personal level, last year was quite tumultuous. Thus, I decided to open a time capsule and become its archivist. I believe that such a project would allow one to look at this 2010, as it happens, in a new light.
What is The Open Time Capsule?
A time capsule is “a container used to store for posterity a selection of objects thought to be representative of life at a particular time.” (Oxford English Dictionary, 1989)
This said, The Open Time Capsule we shall construct together will not be a historic cache of goods in the strictest sense, but it will intend to communicate with people in the future, using words and images to stand as the artifacts of everyday life in 2010.
What’s the point?
The Time Capsule itself is a gift to the 2020 generation and, though it is not directly stated, a gift to one’s future self as well. I suppose ten years would give us enough time to procreate and/or undergo obvious personal change. This way, it will be refreshing, or at the very least, educational, to look back and see what we’ve shaped and what has shaped us, what we’ve saved, and what we’ve let go of.
For whom is the Time Capsule?
The Time Capsule is intended for an audience that does not exist yet (or do exist but cannot read, i.e., babies now). In other words, this will go out children of ten years from now, 2020.
What goes into the Time Capsule?
This Time Capsule shall contain:
1) Prose pieces, either:
- Letters addressed to your children
- Anecdotes or fiction
- Short essays
2) Poetry
3) Illustrations
(See the Technical Guidelines.)
If you’d like to submit something, your artifact for the capsule must be culturally relevant and also have personal meaning to you. For example, Alice Sarmiento, Managing Editor of the online magazine, New Slang (www.new-slang.com), wants to write about her personal experiences in Cubao, since it is changing so drastically; who knows what it would look like ten years from now? Her stories about Cubao may make the occasional flashbacks to her experiences in high school but they must all be anchored to 2010.
Though it is tempting to go back to stories about your own childhood, a Time Capsule is only meant to capture a certain time span and we are limiting it to this year. Thus, the collection pieces will be scheduled to end early next year. Think of the activities, the people, the places, the social climate, the issues, the experiences, the trends, the art and music scenes, and the things you like, then think of which of these would you like to share with a kid who is yet to exist. What else do we have that’s so unique to our country this 2010 that you’d like to share with the children of 2020?
When Will The Time Capsule Close?
Since this Time Capsule is a record of the turn of the first decade of this millennium, it shall officially close 2011 (exact date to be specified) with an exhibit/installation as the “burial ceremony.” Time capsules are typically buried underground but the International Time Capsule Society (ITCS) at Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, says that that’s not such a good idea, water damage and such, so let’s just say that the project will go safely into hibernation for a few years.
When Will The Time Capsule Re-open?
Unlike “real” time capsules, which are typically opened 100-1000 years after their burial, this Time Capsule is meant to be re-opened in 2020 as a book for its intended audience.
What’s in it for me?
The Open Time Capsule cannot (and should not) pay for contributions. Whether your contribution offers one a chance at recognition or leaving a legacy is really up to you, rather than up to the project itself. Again, you could also look at this as a gift to your children.
In creating time capsules, it is said that the process itself is as good as the product. Looking at something and appreciating it, and wanting future generations to appreciate it as well, is still one way to be in the here and now. Collecting the bits and pieces of what makes our country unique and love-worthy at this very moment is a good thing, and it takes the time it takes.
I hope this project merits your talented contribution. Thank you.
Yours,
Irene
the.open.time.capsule@gmail.com
Irene Carolina Sarmiento is an author and a therapist who works with kids. Her first book, “Spinning” (Anvil, 2009), is a children’s story about a boy with autism, sold at National Book Store and Powerbooks. She is currently working on another book about a National Artist, commissioned by the Ayala Museum. Her previous short stories have won prizes from the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards and Philippine Free Press Literary Contest.
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Technical Guidelines for The Open Time Capsule
The Open Time Capsule warmly welcomes the following pieces:
1) Prose: Each piece must be in English or Filipino, computerized, double-spaced on 8 ½ X 11 inches bond paper, with one-inch margins on all sides. Maximum length is 5 pages per piece. The page numbers must be typed consecutively e.g. 1 of 3, 2 of 3 and so on at the right side of the bottom margin of each page. The font should be TNR, Arial or Calibri; font size should be 12.
Artifacts in prose may be:
- Letters addressed to your children*
- Anecdotes or fiction
- Short essays
*Letters should be initially submitted as word documents for approval but the final form should be handwritten.
2) Poetry: You are free but please consider what you can fit into two 10”x 15” spreads (four pages, each page measuring 5” x 7.5”), with 1” margins on all sides. Jpeg submissions are allowed.
3) Visual art and illustrations: For the installation, visual art and illustrations should fit into 10” x 15” spreads. The use of a 1/8 size illustration board is recommended but not required.
You may submit your “sketches” for the Open Time Capsule Blog,http://theopentimecapsule.wordpress.com/.
Files must be in RGB/ JPEG format. File size must be no more than 1MB and no less than 300KB at a resolution of 120 DPI. Please include a title and 1-2 sentences describing the image.
Visual art and illustrations may accompany prose and poetry. Visit the blog regularly to view the submitted texts and query about illustrating them via email. Otherwise, please include a title and 1-2 sentences describing your image.
For any questions, please email the.open.time.capsule@gmail.com.
