The Nick Weerts Memorial Phone Booth in Madison, Wisconsin
There is a phone booth on Madison’s East Side where picking up the receiver connects the caller to no one—and, in a way, to quite a lot of people. The Nick Weerts Memorial Phone Booth was created in memory of Nicholas Bennett Weerts, who died unexpectedly in 2017. Among his various interests was an oddly persistent fascination with payphones, which nearly a decade after his death provided the…
In Madison, Wisconsin, a phone booth on the East Side serves a unique purpose. When you pick up the receiver, it connects you not to a live person, but to a collection of over ten hours of recorded sounds. These sounds encompass a variety of experiences, from conversations among friends to music, family gatherings, comedy routines, parties, and ordinary moments captured years ago.
The booth, known as the Nick Weerts Memorial Phone Booth, was established in remembrance of Nicholas Bennett Weerts, who passed away unexpectedly in 2017. Weerts had a deep interest in payphones, which served as the inspiration for this unusual memorial.
As you hang up the phone, another recording begins, offering a fresh experience every time. This concept bears a resemblance to Japan's "wind phones," which are unconnected telephones where visitors symbolically speak to loved ones who have passed away. However, the Madison booth operates differently. Instead of allowing visitors to speak to the past, it enables the past to speak back to them.
The booth was designed as an evolving community art installation, with the intention that visitors could eventually contribute their own recordings. Over time, this collection could evolve into an audio portrait of the Madison neighborhood, as well as a memorial to the person who inspired it. There is no prescribed way to engage with the phone booth, and the experience remains unpredictable. Simply pick up the receiver and listen.
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