From the dusty corners...

phone booth.jpg
Originally uploaded by Caitlin Emma Perkins

And, here is the phone booth that will will appear as an apparition in a formal garden in Society Hill in Philadelphia. It may not look like much, and perhaps this will take away some of its magic - but I do love to share.

It will have an interactive audio piece installed along with a complete LED light installation. Banging.

Rising to Ubiquity

After what seemed like an eternal hiatus - my thoughts have returned to the ephemeral telephone booth.

In preparation for next installment (and perhaps final, dare I write it?) in the Playing Telephone with Ghosts project of ever expanding proportions, I have procured a lovely glass and aluminum booth. I hope to transform this booth into a ghostly interactive apparition over the next three months so that it may appear on June 21st in the formal garden of the Powel House, located on 3rd Street in Philadelphia.

After a long hiatus from Playing Telephone with Ghosts, I return with fresh eyes and ideas.

And so, after many months - a sketch for an idea. Above is a before and after view of an idea that I would like to realize - out of my haunted visions. This desire to create a scenario, garden vignette a ghostly reminder from a technological past not so far from our today. But, as ubiquitous the cell phone is today, the phone booth was just a few decades ago.

My vision is to create a phantom phone booth that has seemingly landed in Society Hill in the backyard garden at the Physick House on 4th Street, just up the road.

In the booth would be an interactive audio piece.

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Check out this article by Andrea Kirsh about the Playing Telephone with Ghosts installment at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art.

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Foolscaps and Inkshed

I took it upon myself to create an almanac to facilitate portable reading and entertainment for men, women and children of leisiure and toil.

Toiling in the print shop...I was screenprinting a daily almanac inspired by those of the early 18th Century from Philadelphia until midnight last night. This particular almanac is daily almanac including strange facts, a collection of writings and random bits of information collected over the last few weeks to get ready for an event at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art in collaboration with the Landmarks Contemporary Projects--and tonight we will print together a BROADSIDE for your ephemeral pleasure.

Come participate in Playing Telephone with Ghosts. I will be hosting several collective investigations relating to the themes of the project. Contact me by sending an email to playingtelephonewithghosts (at) philalandmarks.org to get on the mailing list to particpate.

These activities will take place in private collections and libraries and are inspired by the activities of the Society for Collective Investiation. Participants will spend 3-4 hours with the artist collecting and reading from materials on a theme relating to the project of Playing Telephone with Ghosts.

Hope you would like to participate.

Marginalia, mischief and hugger muggers

I recently participated in an event with the Society for Creative Investigation, through the Locally Localized Gravity show, at the Institute for Contemporary Art. This society creates a structure to do a group exploration of a library or book collection with the intention that participants can take the method and repeat it in other collections. It is based on Duchamp's random acts.

It works by a group of people (maximum of 10) going to a library and collecting material, gathering back together, further exploring the texts and culminating in a informal performance/presentation. It is a wonderful method for exploring the energies of texts. My intention is to use the method of creative investigation at the Powel House library and others in the coming months to gather more raw material for Playing Telephone with Ghosts.

The theme of these investigations will be "secrets" books contain. This may be finding texts relating to secrets, or the chance serendipitous occurrences, when the reader uncovers those small bits of marginalia, notes, inscriptions and general mischief left in books by the hands of the past. These can serve as clues to the provenance or path the book has led to its current place.

My hope is that the investigations will turn into more formal performances. All texts, pictures notes etc. will be documented for the project and the participants will each get a copy of the materials as well.

Please contact me through the comments if you are interested in participating, or email playingtelephonewithghosts (at)philalandmarks.org to get on the mailing list to participate in upcoming investigations.

Warm wishes, Caitlin