Ring my bell and call me on that HOTLINE Bling. Developed as a response to Manchester International Festival 2019, HOTLINE was the buzz that people could tune into at home, on the bus or in the comfort of a bath.
HOTLINE is a voicemail performance platform that subverts the shiny exterior of festivals and events, giving the audience access points to content that they may not usually access otherwise. The HOTLINE is a 24 hour service that can be constantly contacted, an echo of phone sex hotlines from yesteryear.
HOTLINE was generated as part of my response as a member of Creative Lab ‘19 for Manchester International Festival. Creative Lab is a space for artists to hack and play with a focus on experimentation, intervention and performativity generating a series of creative responses to MIF19 themes and commissions during July.
Working with the amazing team at MIF, I was given guidance and tutoring by Dan Hett in the setting up of my phone line and how I might be able to make it work for the festival. Dan really gave me invaluable assistance on this project.
Thanks to Punam Ramchurn, Jennifer Cleary, Callum Kirkwood, Gabrielle Jenks and the Digital Team, Julia Turpin, Rosannah Jones, Andrew Westle, Darius Kazemi, MIF Volunteers and the whole Creative Lab Cohort.
Examples of the Voicemail performances are listed below and the line is still live, so call now and unfurrow that brow.