The Capsul Project // Anja Kerkopaly

This thesis project began with a desire to explore modern perceptions of time in American culture. Take a moment to think about how time applies to your life; have you ever considered it before? You may be surprised to learn that the American perception of time is specific to our culture.

We live in a linear temporality called “clock time.” We are always facing towards the future and rushing forwards to what we think is our next milestone, and as a result we often feel trapped by the clock. Our lives can feel stressful and meaningless. But time does not have to flow in a straight line - in China it is cyclical. The Chinese take their time when making decisions because they believe that opportunities that arise now will arise again. In Madagascar, the future is considered unknowable and is believed to exist behind the eyes (as in out of sight). It cannot be seen or interacted with, and therefore cannot be planned for. The past, on the other hand, can be seen and can be played with.

The Capsul Time Capsule service was created to help you take some time to reflect on the past and present, and to make it easy and fun for you to record and preserve it. Capsul was designed to relieve you of the burden of the future, and encourage you to acknowledge and enjoy the beauty and tangibility of the past.