Drawing the Line: A Call to Reflect
How did the project come about?
by observing the subtle fading of an invisible boundary
by observing the subtle fading of an invisible boundary
It feels like living in two different realities
Communication is Changed.
Daily rush.
Connecting.
Authentic.
Analog.
Digital.
Talking while walking.
Talking while doing something else.
Screens.
Pausing.
Reflecting.
Distractions.
Daily rush.
Connecting.
Authentic.
Analog.
Digital.
Talking while walking.
Talking while doing something else.
Screens.
Pausing.
Reflecting.
Distractions.
Lucius Burckhardt (March 12, 1925 in Davos – August 26, 2003 in Basel) was a Swiss sociologist and economist. He was an important thinker in Architectural theory and Design theory and the founder of strollology.
Strollology is a design method based on observing and exploring urban space through walking.
Rooted in psychogeography and Situationist practices, this method invites designers and researchers to immerse themselves in the environment, uncovering unexpected connections, sensory stimuli and social dynamics.
Walking becomes a tool for investigation that deepens our understanding of the relationship between people, spaces and objects, allowing for the development of design solutions more grounded in context and everyday experience.
To do so, we began by observing the ordinary, the everyday, trying to capture its “different” moments—things “out of place,” both conventional and unconventional.
While walking through the city streets, we ended up encountering a “non-human” subject with a striking and unique personality.
The Telephone Booth
The first public telephone booths in Switzerland were installed in the 1920s, with a rapid increase in their spread over the following decades.
Peak of Telephone Booths
In the 1990s, telephone booths reached their peak, with over 58,000 in operation across Switzerland.
Decline
With the introduction of mobile phones, the use of telephone booths began to gradually decline, and from the 2000s, many were decommissioned or no longer used as the primary means of communication.
Swisscom Exemption
In 2016, Swisscom was exempted from the legal obligation to maintain the telephone booths.
Telecab2000 Project
Decommissioned telephone booths were converted into advertising spaces by the company Telecab2000, with only a portion of them kept in operation.
Current Number of Telephone Booths
Today, there are about 5,900 telephone booths in operation in Switzerland, but their number is steadily decreasing.
Booths as Cultural Heritage
Some booths, in cities like Zurich and Basel, are preserved as historical or tourist symbols and can be purchased as pieces of Swiss telecommunications history.
Abandonment and Reuse
Telephone booths around the world are largely semi-abandoned or sometimes reinvented for other uses.
Telephone booths around the world are largely semi-abandoned or sometimes reinvented for other uses.
KINGYO-BU: the goldfish club https://tokyocowboy.squarespace.com/articles/kingyo-bu-the- goldfish-club
Telephone booths have also been used for artistic purposes by groups of artists worldwide, showcasing the fascination they evoke.
Another method:
Fast prototyping
Fast prototyping
Theme
A moment of pause amidst the daily rush.
The booths are soundproofed, creating a "resonance" effect.
The music is loud enough to be heard from the outside but does not disturb those inside.
The intention is to encourage a reflective pause from the daily rush.
Theme
The need for presence and active engagement, rethinking how we "connect."
In the first booth, objects with different surfaces were placed to create sounds, with the participant moving the receiver over them in a guided experience.
In the second booth, the recipient heard the amplified sounds through a hidden speaker connected to a mobile phone.
The speaker and phone were hidden, preventing verbal interaction. The second booth was covered with posters, leaving a space for visual contact between the participants.
Theme
The frenz of the digital world distorts our connections
When someone enters a booth, it automatically calls the other, and the voices exchange. But the voice and sounds heard from the other side are distorted, elongated, almost unrecognizable.
The effect is strange yet engaging, transforming these booths into interactive spaces that invite people to reflect on how communication has changed, shifting from patient and direct exchanges to frantic digital interactions."
How it works:
Use of 2 mobile phones,
2 speakers, and 2 telephone booths
A sort of "Phone Inception" is created, where both participants speak and hear each other through an echo effect
The call passes through Ableton Live, connected to a MIDI keyboard, to distort and modify the sound of the other person’s words
Reflections
The Disappearance of the Line
Once, there was a clear boundary between being connected and offline.
Communication required physical effort, but today that distinction has vanished, with phones always connected and within reach, blurring the line between online and offline life.
How can we engage with telephone booths to reflect on this change?
Participants are asked to draw a line to represent the amount of time they think they spend on their phones each day. Then, they are invited to compare this line with the actual screen time by drawing a second line. The comparison between perception and reality encourages reflection on technology usage.
A Space for Pause and Reflection
By entering the booth, participants step away from their routine and are invited to reflect on their relationship with technology.
The project connects to the principles of Data Humanism, founded by Giorgia Lupi, which aims to make data more empathetic and personal, transforming the time spent on devices from a mere statistic into a tangible human experience.
Making
- Create posters the size of the booths, using the interior surface as a giant "drawing sheet”
Plotter ZÜN
“Between analog and digital”
- Create "postcards" to hang inside the booths, using their "perforated" ceiling
- Participants can tear them off
"Ah. A visitor. It’s been a while."
"I used to be essential, you know. People would rush inside, out of breath, desperate to connect. I held their whispers, their confessions, their laughter.
And now? Forgotten.
Abandoned. Left to gather dust while everyone walks around, heads down, eyes glued to their own little screens.
Your phone. It’s always with you, isn’t it? In your pocket, your hand, by your bed. You wake up with it. You eat with it. You never really leave it behind.
There used to be a line—a clear division—between being connected and being free. But now? That line is gone. Can you even remember what it felt like to be… without?"
"Let’s try something: take a moment. Draw a line. A representation—however you like—of how much time you think you spend on your phone each day. A straight line, a circle, a scribble… anything. Be honest."
"Now, check your phone. Find your actual screen time. Draw it next to your first one."
"Look at them. Are they the same? More? Less? How does it feel?"
"Step outside when you're ready. But before you go… ask yourself: where does your line begin, and where does it end?"
"Oh, and if you’d like to make a call… feel free. That’s what I’m here for. Just a voice, just a moment—maybe a little reminder of how it used to be."
The decision was to observe without intervening in order to analyze the reactions of passersby.
Many approached out of curiosity, some continued after a brief stop, and others sought the creator of the installation. In some cases, those who asked for information received a brief explanation and were invited to try the installation.
The experience was documented with photos (with consent) and short interviews with the participants.
Observations
The project proved effective in engaging passersby, achieving the initial objectives.
Although further iterations and interviews are needed to fully test the effectiveness of the intervention, some significant results can already be observed.
Among the most notable results, we can observe the "postcards" collected by participants, which provide interesting insights into their perceptions and experiences during their interaction with the installation.