'SuCap', urban memory capsule, held by New York City, 2010

In collaboration with Dana Farber Canaan 

'Sukkah City' is an international design competition to re-imagine the traditional Sukkah.

In this project, we contemplated on collective memory and its relationship with space.
Our memories bear a tight correspondence with the structures of space around us; in those, we can always see the setting where they took place.
In today’s highly mobile life, where travel is ordinary, we may find it difficult to create a stable memory; ”the permanence and interior appearance of a home impose on the group a comforting image of its own continuity” (“The Collective Memory” by Maurice Halbwachs).

The Sukkah, which served as a temporary hosting facility in the empty desert where the Israelites roamed for 40 years, created just that - a recognizable setting for unforgettable memories. We aspire to tap into the collective memory of this wonderful ancient society, and provide a solution to our modern society of roamers.

SuCap, in it’s omnipresent stage #1, serves as a by-passer stand for checking emails while “on the go”, as it also serves as basis for stage #2 - a traveler can “rent” the facility for short term hosting, and “activate” the Sukkah, to electrically unfold to it’s full “Kosher” state.

The renter can upload images, project them on the screen, and “decorate” the Sukkah, transforming it to a recognizable surrounding. Pictures or videos taken at the event can be saved to the user’s Sukkah profile, creating a real-time memory capsule, constantly updating.