We all have things to say, but don’t always have someone to say them to. Plagued by this thought, interdisciplinary artist Ranadeep Bhowmick decided to merge his interests in science, arts and psychology to create a unique solution. He set up The Phonebooth, a public art installation outside Golf Green’s Central Park from March 14 to 17 that allowed people to place a ‘call to nowhere’.
Bhowmick’s idea came from fundamental human situations. “The situations that spawned this idea were: wanting to speak to someone, but the call is unanswered, having something to say, but no one to call, and wanting to speak to a deceased loved one, but being left only with their number,” said Bhowmick.
A mother and daughter ‘make a call’ Courtesy: Ranadeep Bhowmick
The idea for the concept came to him two years ago, when he acquired a defunct PCO-style phone from a shop in Jadavpur and frequently felt the urge to speak into it. “Whenever someone would visit my room, they too would make mock calls on the phone. This made me consider a photo booth-type installation at a public space where people could make a ‘call to nowhere’ and speak their hearts out. I could share the things on my mind and others could do so too,” said the media science graduate of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology.
Ranadeep Bhowmick and his creation Courtesy: Ranadeep Bhowmick
In order to personalise the experience, while also feeding the universal desire to communicate, the phone was equipped with a record-and-play feature. People could opt to record what they said and anonymously hear what others had said in the booth, bringing a sense of intimacy to the conversations.
People could opt to record what they said and anonymously hear what others had said in the booth Courtesy: Ranadeep Bhowmick
“The point was to allow people to pour their hearts out without feeling judged. They talked about everything — from their fear of exams and love for cinema to their desire to care for animals. Some people just spoke about their day,” said Bhowmick, adding that a person even attempted to insert a coin in order to speak to his father, who lived far away. “Even though the call wasn’t connecting to anyone, you could feel that someone was listening at the other end,” Bhowmick said.
The booth was quite an attraction at Golf Green; (right) sticky notes left on the side of the booth Courtesy: Ranadeep Bhowmick
His attempt to understand feelings beyond the words struck a chord, with close to 200 people making the ‘call to nowhere’, and over 70 people recording their conversations. He was particularly amused when a bodybuilder asked if he could take photos in the booth without a shirt and when an NRI from Canada expressed his amazement at seeing a public art installation in his hometown.
Children dial in Courtesy: Ranadeep Bhowmick
“The emotion was always meant to go beyond the phone and include the aesthetic of the booth too. It’s the iconic vibe of ’80s Calcutta that rings in the nostalgia. This booth belongs to this city,” he signed off.