Edmonton public art installation among 100 projects up for global award

Born out of a time when it was almost impossible to reach out and touch someone, an Edmonton art installation appears to be calling out to those on the global stage.

"Play it by Ear," an interactive art installation by Calgary artists Caitlind Brown and Wayne Garrett, has been nominated as one of the top 100 public art projects by CODAworx, a public art industry group.

The installation consists of 13 pastel coloured, vintage-inspired telephones strewn throughout Butler Memorial Park, in a gritty part of Edmonton just west of its downtown centre. Connected like an intercom, picking up one telephone causes another to ring on the other side of the park.

"It's actually an invitation for strangers to talk to each other," Brown said in a recent interview.

If they answer, people can strike up a conversation. If they don't, they can leave a voice mail. People have left more than 5,000 messages, which Garrett said range from dead air to loving words of encouragement.

"It's just a bit of everything, and it kind of reflects the dynamic of the park," he said.

The planning started a few years ago, with a visit to the park. Brown said they noticed the park was next to a bus station, which got them thinking about connections and missed connections.

They also saw many people using the space.

"There are literally people who maybe don't have anywhere else to go, who end up using this park as a living room," she said. "And so, a telephone seemed like the kind of perfect homey addition."

On top of that, they saw an old Alberta Government Telephones office nearby.

"My grandma was a telephone operator in Edmonton in the 1950s, and she worked at an Alberta Government Telephones building," Brown added. "And that's part of why we were like, 'Oh, this might be the right fit for this park."'

Renee Williams, executive director of the Edmonton Arts Council, said the organization was immediately on board when it heard the "fun and playful" pitch.

"It was the idea of a means to create connection with one another," she said. "And so I just thought, 'What a unique and interactive public art element to be added here."'

Working with the arts council, each phone cradle was cast out of steel and modelled after rotary phones of yesteryear, adding to a playful and intergenerational nostalgia. Where the dial usually sits, there's a smaller piece of art based on homey photographs sent in by the public.

The exhibit was installed in 2023 and has been well-received by park patrons, Garrett said.

"We were going around just taking a look at the phones to check on how things are doing and make sure everything was functioning," he said. "And some residents who use the park a lot went out of their way to tell us how the phones work."

The installation is up against entries from 14 countries in the CODAworx competition.

Brown said the recognition is nice, but at the end of the day what matters is the impact the art has on people. "Play it by Ear" is meant to be intergenerational, she said, so people of different ages can connect.

"We've come to the park at times where there have been those connections with a person who appears to be a senior talking to someone else," she said.

"Those have been the most gratifying moments."