I missed Claudia Janke's String Phone Sculpture project ...

July 14, 2023 8:07 AM

... when it was live back in 2020, but I've just found these photographs online. "What started as only one phone reaching across the square, ended in an invitation to all neighbours to connect via a string phone. We installed 16 phones criss crossing the square spanning up to 60 meters. We played string phone whispers, watched artist Rubie Green perform a sound piece through one of the phones and cut the strings a the end at the count of three."

There's more about Janke and her other work on North London's Packington Estate here.

posted by Paul Slade (7 comments total)

Great stuff - thank you for posting this!
posted by niicholas at 9:28 AM on July 14, 2023

What a great collection of photos! So many smiling faces making weird participatory art together. I'm so glad you posted this -- it made me smile. :)
posted by hippybear at 11:23 AM on July 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Good fun, TYFS. I love the appropriate technology fixes: masking tape round the mouth pieces; L-bracket and C-clamp to secure the base-station to the balcony. Enough string to make a hammock or three after the project hangs up.
posted by BobTheScientist at 11:43 AM on July 14, 2023

Now I want to make string phones with my preschool class.
posted by kathrynm at 2:14 PM on July 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Now I want to make string phones with my preschool class.

Easier with paper cups than metal cans, but it can be done. The trick is, the lines have to be under tension for the sound to transfer, so you could pull out the bottom of a paper cup if you're not careful.
posted by hippybear at 2:22 PM on July 14, 2023

Thanks, what a cool project. Loved the pictures of sculpture day, everyone seemed to be having such fun!

The section of her site on Packing Up Packington is also pretty cool, with bits of interviews interspersed with the photos, chronicling the end of a council estate slated to be demolished and rebuilt as mixed income housing.
posted by the primroses were over at 4:58 PM on July 14, 2023

I tried to make a string-phone modem once, but failed.
Maybe I could try again.
posted by MtDewd at 4:27 AM on July 15, 2023