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Documented artwork / interactive kinetic sculpture

Capsule

Christina Sporrong · Christian Ristow

Capsule folds open to expose an inner sphere. Its first form used burning community messages to trigger movement; a later version lets visitors activate the opening mechanism and reveal illuminated glass cones. Sporrong credits the project jointly with Christian Ristow.

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Documented work. Current availability, ownership and installation requirements must be confirmed with the artist.

See the documented project and images

Image from the project source for Capsule
Image: spitfireforge.com ↗

At a glance

Year / version
2020; later evolution documented in 2023
Materials
glass
Documented setting
unknown
Dimensions
Not documented
Dimensions apply to
Not documented
Availability
Unconfirmed

Places & versions

Installation history

Historical presentations. A past installation does not establish the current location or suitability for a new site.

  1. Date not documented

    Arroyo Seco, New Mexico

    City
    Arroyo Seco
    State / region
    NM
    Country
    United States (inferred; not independently confirmed)

    Installation details checked 2026-10-17.

    Installation source

  2. 2020

    Seco Live & The Paseo, Taos, New Mexico

    City
    Taos
    State / region
    NM
    Country
    United States (inferred; not independently confirmed)
    Event
    Seco Live & The Paseo
    Start year
    2020

    Installation details checked 2026-10-17.

    Installation source

  3. 2023

    Transfix, Las Vegas, Nevada

    City
    Las Vegas
    State / region
    NV
    Country
    United States (inferred; not independently confirmed)
    Event
    Transfix
    Start year
    2023

    Installation details checked 2026-10-17.

    Installation source

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Research notes for project planning

How this work was made and presented

Arroyo Seco, New Mexico, 2020 public-art installation

A local commission designed around community contributions

Paseo Project’s 2020 account identifies Capsule as a collaboration with Arroyo Seco Live, organized and funded by Seco Live and Paseo Project. Unveiled that July in Arroyo Seco, the work opened a rotating outdoor-art program. Residents were invited to place written thoughts inside for a later transformation by fire. This gives the work a specific community commissioning context, with a contribution period distinct from the eventual shared event.

Paseo Project — Capsule ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-10

For your project brief

Who would invite, collect and interpret community contributions, and what permissions govern their eventual use in a new presentation?

Big Art Partners planning prompt

Artist’s account of the original and second Capsule configurations

The opening mechanism changed between versions

Sporrong’s project page distinguishes two evolutions of Capsule. In the first, combustion of collected messages triggered opening and exposed the core. The later version moves when visitors actuate it, folding to reveal illuminated glass cones on an inner sphere. The same title therefore refers to different operating experiences. A host should define the exact version with both credited artists before developing a program; the older fire-based account is not a specification for the later illuminated configuration.

Spitfire Forge — Capsule ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-10

For your project brief

Which version is proposed, and does its current rider include fire, visitor-actuated movement, lighting or a different combination?

Big Art Partners planning prompt
Interactive art installations ↗Kinetic sculpture and installations ↗

Plan the next step

How to plan an outdoor sculpture loan ↗How to prepare a site brief for large-scale public art ↗

Sources