Aman Mojadidi's phone booths in Times Square share immigrant stories

Artist Aman Mojadidi (b. 1971) has installed three telephone booths at Duffy Square in Times Square, New York, as part of the interactive public artwork "Once Upon a Place." The booths contain over 70 recorded narratives from immigrants, each lasting between 2 and 15 minutes, accessible via audio files and printed materials replacing traditional phone directories. The project, produced in collaboration with Times Square Arts, stems from months of research during which Mojadidi explored 18 neighborhoods across New York City—including Jackson Heights (Queens), Westerleigh (Staten Island), the Bronx, and Manhattan—and interviewed dozens of individuals whose lives were shaped by immigration. Some came seeking political asylum and personal safety, others pursued better lives or job opportunities. The work aims to foster curiosity and empathy, using the intimate setting of a phone booth to create a sense of closeness despite its public location. According to a Pew Research Center study, by 2065 one in three Americans will be an immigrant or the child of an immigrant; currently, one-third of New York City residents are foreign-born, and about 800 languages are spoken across the city's neighborhoods. Mojadidi, an American artist of Afghan origin, emphasizes that the diverse mosaic of stories highlights how the richness of American culture results from this kaleidoscopic diversity.