Atlas Obscura · People & society

Madison Phone Booth Memorializes Nick Weerts

A unique memorial phone booth in Madison, Wisconsin, allows callers to hear random recordings, offering a connection to the past.

The Nick Weerts Memorial Phone Booth was created in memory of Nicholas Bennett Weerts, who died in 2017. Inspired by his fascination with payphones, the booth plays over ten hours of recorded sound when the receiver is lifted.

The recordings include conversations, music, gatherings, comedy, parties, and ordinary moments. Each call offers a different experience, as the phone randomly selects from the audio archive.

Unlike Japan's 'wind phones' where people speak to the deceased, this booth allows the past to speak back to the visitor.

The installation is intended to be an evolving community art project, with plans for visitors to contribute their own recordings in the future.

The collection may eventually become an audio portrait of the Madison neighborhood, in addition to serving as a memorial to Weerts.

There is no set way to use the phone booth; users simply pick up the receiver to listen to whatever recording is randomly selected.

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