Phonotel encourages folks to consider what is sacrificed when we are too dependent on our devices. A repurposed card catalog, Phonotel housed its guests in phone-sized hotel rooms. Participants checked their phones in and were given multiple tools and incentives to help them observe, navigate and enjoy the world phone-free.

Project Objectives

While collaborating with Libby at Modern Art, we wanted to design an engaging way to encourage people to become aware of their relationship with their internet devices and think about its impact on their experiences with the world around them.

Creative Strategy

To get people to detach from their beloved phones, we developed play-based activities and partnered with local businesses to provide incentives during one of Lancaster’s popular Art Walk weekends. We created visually interesting props and tools to help folks navigate the world phone-free.

Process

Participants checked their phones into unique phone-sized rooms housed in a former card catalog. Each guest received a keychain with their phone’s room number. The key served as a token to show around town for promotions like an ice cream cone, free beer, and chocolates.

Then, they were encouraged to send friends and loved ones a message to let them know that they would be unavailable via their device for a while. They were provided with a phone number to a landline answering service for urgent messages. They were offered dummy phones to carry with them. These would come in handy when needing something to hold in the absence of their devices.

Participants were also provided with a survival guide to help them navigate the world without their devices. The book had tips on things like what to do when waiting in a line without your phone and how to use a pay phone, as well as blank pages to write or draw observations. Maps that included Art Walk stops, participating businesses, and operating pay phones. There were also compasses available for navigation. There were also seminars like Phonotel programming including seminars like Map Reading for Beginners, The Importance of Eye Contact and Limber Up with Jenny!;

Outcomes

The event was quite successful and participants raved about the experience saying things like, “Our phones had the best time. Thank you for a wonderful experience!” and “Excited to be phone-free for a few hours!! What an inspired theme for a stressed-out world.”

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Phonotel has now had several incarnations, check out other Phonotel experiences Libby has hosted since we created the first one together.