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.
Language Shows Social Changes
The Latin origin of the term "data" comes from the plural of "datum," meaning "a single piece of information." The etymology of the word "information" suggests it comes from the Latin informatio (-nis), from the verb informare, meaning "to give form," "to discipline," "to instruct," or "to teach." In Greek, the corresponding words were "μορφη" (morfè) or "εiδοs" (éidos), meaning "idea," "concept," "form," or "image." Data can be considered as individual pieces of an idea, concept, form, or image, which give shape or teach something.
The Latin origin of the term "data" comes from the plural of "datum," meaning "a single piece of information." The etymology of the word "information" suggests it comes from the Latin informatio (-nis), from the verb informare, meaning "to give form," "to discipline," "to instruct," or "to teach." In Greek, the corresponding words were "μορφη" (morfè) or "εiδοs" (éidos), meaning "idea," "concept," "form," or "image." Data can be considered as individual pieces of an idea, concept, form, or image, which give shape or teach something.
Human language allows us to name not only what exists but also what does not yet exist, enabling us to imagine and design the future. Through it, we can make choices, reject some things in favor of others, and think about what is yet to come.
- Foster personal exploration and stimulate individual interpretation and creativity.
- Combine analysis and emotion: balance the rational with the human.
- Develop critical awareness: it is essential to understand data in order to be active participants in the digital world.
Creating a personal language
Techniques / Programms used
Mosaic
Photogrammetry
Unreal
Meta Human
Motion Capture
Creative Coding
Open Processing
Scanner
3d Scanner
Scotch e impressione a caldo
Video mapping
Ai
Nomad Sculpt
Blender
Obsidian
Mosaic
Photogrammetry
Unreal
Meta Human
Motion Capture
Creative Coding
Open Processing
Scanner
3d Scanner
Scotch e impressione a caldo
Video mapping
Ai
Nomad Sculpt
Blender
Obsidian
Theory
RHuman-Technology Relationship:
Postman analizza come la tecnologia sia diventata dominante nella nostra società, descrivendosi l’evolversi della società in rapporto alla tecnologia.
Tool-oriented:
nelle culture “Tool-oriented”, gli strumenti sono progettati per risolvere problemi specifici, materiali o simbolici, senza mettere in discussione l’ideologia dominante.
Tecnocrazia:
[a partire dalla seconda rivoluzione industriale]
In una tecnocrazia, la razionalità tecnica domina sulle altre forme di sapere, come la politica, l'etica o la cultura.
Tecnopoli:
[a partire dal XX secolo]
una comunità o società in cui la tecnologia gioca un ruolo centrale, modellando e determinando non solo l'economia e la politica, ma anche la cultura, le relazioni sociali e i valori. In una tecnopoli, la tecnologia è così integrata nella vita quotidiana che diventa il fondamento stesso dell'organizzazione sociale.
É con l’emergere di nuovi strumenti di comunicazione, come il telegrafo, il telefono e il computer, che si assiste alla sua vera e propria nascita.
Il suo sviluppo è in stretta relazione con l’evoluzione dell’informazione: l’invenzione della stampa a caratteri mobili in primis, permettendo la produzione di libri e documenti in serie, ha sì reso l’informazione più accessibile, ma anche avviato un incredibile processo di frammentazione della conoscenza.
Caratterizzata da cambiamenti rapidi e instabilità nelle relazioni sociali, nel lavoro e nelle identità personali.
- Incertezze e instabilità: Le certezze del passato (lavoro stabile, valori familiari, strutture sociali fisse) sono venute meno.
- Fluidità delle identità: Le persone sono alla ricerca di nuovi ruoli e significati, ma l'identità rimane instabile e cangiante.
- Relazioni sociali fragili: Le relazioni diventano più superficiali e temporanee, sostituendo impegni a lungo termine.
- Consumismo e insoddisfazione: La ricerca di felicità attraverso il consumismo porta le persone a sentirsi insoddisfatte e sempre alla ricerca di nuovi stimoli.
- Erosione delle istituzioni tradizionali: Le strutture tradizionali come matrimonio, famiglia e comunità sono indebolite e sostituite da forme più fluide di organizzazione sociale.
Floridi esplora l'idea che siamo nel mezzo di una "quarta rivoluzione", dove l'informazione e la comunicazione digitale trasformano la nostra percezione del mondo e di noi stessi.
Ambiente Digitale Integrato:
L'infosfera non è limitata ai dispositivi tecnologici o alla rete Internet, ma include tutte le forme di informazioni e comunicazioni che interagiscono tra di loro, sia online che offline. Essa include i dati digitali, ma anche quelli analogici, creando una realtà in cui siamo costantemente immersi e interconnessi.
Pervasività delle Informazioni:
Viviamo in un mondo in cui ogni aspetto della nostra vita è informazionalmente mediato. La nostra identità, il nostro comportamento e le nostre esperienze quotidiane sono influenzati dalla continua interazione con dati provenienti da fonti digitali, sensori, social media, e così via.
Inforg: le persone non sono più separate dal flusso delle informazioni, ma sono in simbiosi con esso. Floridi utilizza il termine "Inforg" (informatized organism) per descrivere l'uomo moderno come una combinazione tra individuo e flusso informativo.
La nostra identità e il nostro modo di pensare, comunicare, e agire sono sempre più definito dall'accesso alle informazioni.
Tipificazione degli individui.
Conclusions
Critical Awareness: In a context where data permeates every aspect of our existence, it is essential to develop critical awareness in order to be active participants, not just passive spectators, in the digital transformation.
This work promotes the development of such awareness.
Critical Awareness: In a context where data permeates every aspect of our existence, it is essential to develop critical awareness in order to be active participants, not just passive spectators, in the digital transformation.
This work promotes the development of such awareness.