I've always wanted to start a diary, but figured I would never be bothered writing in something every day. However, I did/do collect hoards of 'things' which remind me of events, past achievements etc. Imagine trying to do this on such a scale as an artist like... Andy Warhol. He would've received so much volume daily from everywhere that he combined the idea of a diary and collecting 'things' into: the Time Capsules.
Into cardboard boxes retained from a recent move, he began placing picked through correspondence, magazines and newspapers, gifts, photos, business material... basically anything passing through his hands had a chance at ending up in a Time Capsule. Once one was full he would tape it, mark it with the date and sometimes a title and it would get archived, a process beginning in the early 70s and continuing up until his death in 1987.
His few assistants who dealt with the 612 boxes, nicknaming them Andy's Stuff, had no idea of their contents. So, when back in ol' '94 The Andy Warhol Museum formed allowing scholars etc. & the general public to peruse such items, the discovery was a unique revelation not only into Andy Warhol's life, work and practice but also the past co-existing broader cultural landscape particularly socially & artistically. A fascinating project & legacy for a man so interested in consumer culture.
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| Time Capsule images and info courtesy of 'the warhol: resources and lessons' |
How cool would it be getting to unseal these treasures? Like one certain day a week... you'd have to draw straws. And spend the rest of the time researching and making links between things you've unpacked. The 'Andy Warhol Time Capsule Archaeologists'. By the way did you know Andy Warhol was a big supporter of Keith Haring?
