A large number of people came along on Friday afternoon to witness the ceremonial part of the Time Capsule’s long voyage into the future when it was buried at the front of the Viking Ship Hall.
Many children from Orø School, who contributed letters to the children of the future, were there on the grass lawn. But there were also many people there from both Ireland and Denmark who had contributed to the contents of the time capsule.
”During my many years as a diplomat, I have often thought back over times when I have been able to really make a difference, and they have not always been easy to find. But with the voyage of the Sea Stallion and all the perspective encompassed by the project, this has been the most fantastic adventure that I have ever been involved in as a diplomat", said the Irish ambassador Joe Hayes from the podium, before he and Roskilde’s mayor, Poul Lindor Nielsen, lowered the Time Capsule into the 2-metre deep hole.
The time capsule is sealed and all of its contents are vacuum-packed so that they can last until 2259, when the contents can again be unpacked and subjected to the wonder and curiosity of the future.
The director of the Viking Ship Museum explained the purpose of the project. ”Here at the museum, we are normally involved in digging things up, but in this case we are burying something. But the purpose is actually the same. It’s all about awareness of history. It’s about connecting the past, the present and the future. It’s about acknowledging the historic basis that constitutes the point of departure for action and about recognising the future consequences of the choices and decisions that we make" explained Tinna Damgård-Sørensen, before she declared the museum’s new exhibition as opened.
Make your contribution to the time capsule
Simultaneously with the burial of the Time Capsule, the Viking Ship Museum opened an online exhibition about the contents. The exhibition contains pictures and texts related to the content. There is a feature that allows you to make your own comments on the various themes and the selected objects and to contribute what you think the future should know about the world of 2009.
”The Time Capsule contains just under 100 objects, and of course that severely limits the range. We have been forced to omit a large number of things that people will feel should have been included in a Time Capsule like this. On the other hand, we are very interested in hearing what people think of the contents and what they think should have been included. That is why we are inviting everyone to use the homepage to comment on the contents” explains museum curator Louise Kæmpe Henriksen, who has been the project manager for the Time Capsule, along with Eamonn Mac an Bheatha from the Irish Department of Art Sport and Tourism.
Facts
The Time Capsule came into existence in the wake of the Sea Stallion from Glendalough trial voyage from Roskilde to Dublin and back in 2007-08 and marks a friendship agreement between Dublin and Roskilde.
Simultaneously with the burial of the Time Capsule, the museum opened a special exhibition, ”The Sea Stallion from Glendalough – from dream to reality”, where the public are invited to experience the voyage at close quarters throughout the museum.
