Play It By Ear: 13 vintage telephones in Canadian park reconnect community

Canadian artists Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett have installed Play It By Ear, a public art piece in Butler Memorial Park, Edmond, Canada. The installation comprises 13 brightly colored telephone columns connected by fixed lines that run along painted pathways on the ground. Visitors can pick up any ringing handset to speak with the caller at the other end, like a wired walkie-talkie system. If no one answers, an answering machine allows messages to be left and heard. Remote messages can also be submitted via the project website, along with photos that decorate the phones. Created in 2023, the work evokes living room conversations of the past, transforming the park into a metaphorical parlor. The artists aimed to create a game for all ages, especially elderly visitors who frequent the park daily and use telephones to stay in touch. The project explores how retro technology can make public spaces feel like home and turn strangers into neighbors. Play It By Ear was recently included in the Top 100 Commissions by CODAworx, a hub for commissioned art.