What Happens When Everyone’s Phone Rings at the Same Time?

Room Call is an installation in a room with a terminal at the door and a few abstract posters hung on the wall. Visitors enter their name and phone numbers at the terminal then examine the posters. The content of the posters in not important, because after a minute, everyone’s phone rings at the same time. After the initial confusion, visitors answer their phones, where they begin to find that everyone in the room is connected to a conference call with everyone else.

The experience highlights the potential connection that exists between everyone in the room (or any room) through their cell phones and the nearest cellular tower. Although it is invisible, this connection exists all the time. By calling all the visitors’ phones simultaneously, I hope to illustrate this connection in an unexpected and delightful way. Inspired by my earlier projects exploring new ways to depict networked objects (Stuff Keeping Track of Itself & The Bragging Chair), I’m interested in finding new ways to depicts networks—ways different from the tired web and cell diagrams.

I managed to rig up Skype conference calls by manually entering the visitor’s phone numbers, but the next step I want to take is configuring an Asterisk server to completely automate the installation. Anyone interested in collaborating please contact me.

Presentation of Room Call at my Thesis Review