Hear the Call
Concept
The audience can loan a phone. The phone also comes with an instruction guide which further outlays phone functions (as seen in images above). These phones are recycled display phones, thrown away from phone shops, or recycling places, there are no electronics inside. The audience is asked to extend their imagination in having a private conversation with a range of others. This may seem far fetched but talking to ourselves with an array of different hypothesized othersis a part of our normal everyday internal social process.
Audience
A private work for an experimental more open audience.
Space
Minimum 4m sq space with a desk or clipboards for participants to sign contracts and display unit to display and store the phones.
Best if space is close to natural environment, some people may be speaking with deceased people and a natural open environment, a garden, the harbour etc, space to speak out of earshot will aid this connection.
Installation
Normal phone display looking design, reinstalled second hand from shop fitting. Preferably standalone clear perspex or glass display shelving.
Attendant
Attendants are needed to explain the work to audience, allow them to sign loan contract to borrow the phone.
Legal
A contract for the audience to sign to obtain the phone.
The contract must include clause that makes the audience responsible for handling the conversations on these phones and the gallery and artist bear no responsibility for any issues that may arise from interacting with the non-electronic phone.
The participant can write the names of the individuals they wish to call or be called by on this phone in the contract possessing the phone.
Benefits
- Challenging the audience to open themselves to their imagination, introjection and projection.
- Interactive, introspective, intimate pieces for the audience to explore.
Challenges
- Getting enough free or very cheap recycled display phones.
- Asking a lot from audiences (psychologically) as participatory work.
Accomodations for Covid
This work should be on display live but it could potentially also be an item ordered online.
Additionally a selected few consenting people (who may or may not want to remain anonymous) could be shown interacting with the phone (sincerely interacting) in a video.