Capsule Collect is a visualization of community viewpoints. It is an engagement tool that collects input and personal stories from residents. Envisioned as a device to better connect planning to spatial narratives, this mobile pop-up translates constituent opinions into quantitative data and a network of oral histories of the city. Capsule collect gives communities a platform to freely express their thoughts and ideas in an open dialogue with each other and Philadelphia at large. It is intended to move around the city and gather and project these stories onto buildings.

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When deployed the capsule has two components, the “gathering unit” and the “distribution unit.” The gathering unit has two small rooms to record videos and space for small groups to congregate. On a screen, there are a series of questions for residents. Depending on how they answer these questions, the dots on the outside of the capsule will change. The pop-up will slowly change color as residents interact with it and information is gathered. The distribution unit moves along a route in the neighborhood projecting the recorded videos onto buildings.  It has a small seating element and play space for children.  Both units are made of translucent material, allowing the community’s input and the community itself to be seen.  Capsule collect is conceived as a medium for presenting unfiltered narratives to give agency back to communities.