‘Capsule Burn’
Arroyo Seco Live and Paseo Project
‘CAPSULE,’ a large-scale, interactive sculpture created by Taos artists Christian Ristow and Christina Sporrong, launched just as Taos was affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
This project was conceived with the intention of bringing the community together by providing a sounding board during a time when separation felt inescapable as we all sheltered in place. helped to allow a safe and socially distant means of communication and expression of participants’ innermost thoughts both in-person and online.
Organized and funded by two local arts organizations, Arroyo Seco Live and The Paseo Project, Capsule fulfilled its mission of unifying the community and healing through art as well as helping to drive a positive economic impact on the small town of Arroyo Seco, NM.
CAPSULE CLOSING BURN WEEKEND EXPERIENCES
MAY 22, 6:30 PM
Dinner with Capsule’s artists
$75 (Tickets are limited)
A ticketed, fire-inspired outdoor dinner with food by Aceq. Guests of honor: artists Christian Ristow and Christina Sporrong. To purchase tickets: www.capsuletaos. com, www.secolive.org, or email capsule @secolive.org
MAY 23, 8:00 PM Capsule’s closing burn!
Live Stream of the Closing Burn, held at the Seco Live space. Details to come. Mass gatherings of more than 150 people are still prohibited, so we do ask that you stay home and celebrate with us as thousands of hopes, fears, wishes, and thoughts are put to flame and Capsule transforms!
Unveiled in July 2020, this 20-foot interactive art installation was on view throughout the summer, fall, and winter allowing visitors to take part in a safe and socially distant viewing space inviting anyone to write notes expressing their fears, hopes, wishes, and dreams and then adding them as an offering to this impressive piece of art.
Capsule’s impact is undeniable. With 3,775 handwritten notes, 130 online submissions, 2,631 loyal and engaged social media followers and 30,000 online impressions, this project was an overwhelming success even before factoring in the estimated 1,200 guests who drove into Arroyo Seco, from other parts of New Mexico. During a time that found small operations across the nation uncertain about whether they would make it, each dollar spent by these drive-in visitors helped to keep Arroyo Seco small businesses alive
As promised, thanks to the Taos community’s dedication to masks and social distance and the impressive vaccine roll-out that is currently underway, it is time to move on to our lives post-Covid, and send Capsule on its way along with the notes into the ether. As a send off and a climax to all of the worldwide contributions, Seco Live and The Paseo Project will host a weekend of safe and socially distant moments, ending with a live-streamed burn of all the notes.
For more information email Capsule@SecoLive.Org.