Recalling 1993

The New Museum has come up with a unique way of promoting their latest show, “1993.” In an attempt to place potential viewers into a mindset of nostalgia and memory related to that specific year, they used one of the few relics of that time for their message’s medium: pay phones. Barely used today, the phone booths still linger on every block and corner, a subtle reminder of the city’s recent past.

For the campaign, dubbed “Recalling 1993,” the museum has recorded artists and residents from every neighborhood, each talking about their memories and recollections of 1993, specific to that neighborhood, and sometimes specific right down to the very block where the pay phone sits. Anyone is now able to walk up to these public pay phones and access these memories simply by dialing the number on the phone handle. It’s an ambitious project in and of itself. The very fact that they’re asking us to pick up a pay phone, something many of us haven’t done in years, adds layers of personal memories to the pre-recorded ones on the line. The participation becomes part of the experience, and is unique to each and every location. Check the map on the site for pay phone locations, or merely start wandering your neighborhood. You’ll be surprised how many there are once you start looking.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 28th, 2013 at 11:29 am. It is filed under Creative Culture, New York City. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.