PAY PHONES BECOME TIME PORTALS TO RELIVE THE ART, CULTURE, AND TURMOIL OF NEW YORK IN 1993
Year: 2013
Client: New Museum
Agency: Droga5
Role: Art Director
Art: Jerry Hoak, Daniel Sumarna
Copy: Ray Del Savio, Colin Lord, Bryan Wolff
Researchers: Sarah Gancher, Amelia Barry, Bo Jacober
Partners: Van Wagner, Village Voice, Gawker
Project Duration: 2 Months
Note: Jerry, Ray, David Droga and I presented the work. See what David has to say about working with me.
Recognition:
2014 Andys: Silver x1
2013 Cannes: Bronze x1, Shortlist x1
2014 D&AD: Yellow Pencil x1, In-Book x2
2014 Effie Awards: Gold x2
2014 One Show: Bronze x3
Recalling 1993 was referenced as a pick-up line in romantic drama Before We Go, starring Chris Evans.
Recalling 1993 transformed every surviving pay phone in Manhattan into a geolocated portal, going back to a year that saw dramatic changes in visual art, music, advertising, politics, literature, and the media.
It was created in conjunction with the New Museum’s building-wide exhibition, NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star, which featured art made or shown in New York during this seminal year.
1993 marked the convergence of the underground and the mainstream. Artists showcased their works in downtown galleries, crime rates began to decline, real estate prices soared, and gentrification took hold, signifying a turning point in the city's development. Recalling 1993 transports you to every street corner in Manhattan, using one of the last remaining relics of that time – the pay phone.
How It Works
1
To access Recalling 1993, anyone could dial toll-free 1-[855]-FOR-1993 from any Manhattan pay phone.
2
Our database determined the phone’s location in Manhattan.
Once connected, the caller heard stories of sweeping change and personal experiences tied to the neighborhood where they stood. Each story ended with an invitation to visit the New Museum exhibit.
3
From Mario Batali recalling the opening of his first restaurant in the West Village to Robin Byrd remembering Times Square’s sordid past, uncensored memories from these and myriad other notable New Yorkers bring listeners back to a very different New York from the one we know today.
Historical Narrators for Recalling 1993
Brian Lehrer, WNYC Radio Host
Michael Musto, Village Voice Columnist
Timothy “Speed” Levitch, New York City Tour Guide
Other Recalling 1993 Contributors
Abby Moser, Riot Grrrl Documentarian
Jim Abbot, MLB Pitcher
Joshua David, High Line President
Chazz Palminteri, Actor
Fern Mallis, New York Fashion Week Creator
Johnny Puke, Punk Rocker
David Ortiz, Streetwear Legend
James St. James, Club Kid
Sister Miriam Kevin Phillips, Sisters of Charity
These New Yorkers witnessed the city first-hand in 1993. Their stories transport listeners 20 years into the past. Recalling 1993 in its entirety, clocks in with more than four hours worth of messages.
“The ceiling shook and plaster started hitting all the one–name supermodels of the day.”
🔊 Listen to Fern Mallis
📍 Midtown East
ℹ️ Creator, Fashion Week in New York City
Former Executive Director, Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)
“Most of the bums on the streets are really undercover cops.”
🔊 Listen to Robin Byrd
📍 Midtown West
ℹ️ Former Adult Actress
Television Host, The Robin Byrd Show
“You had to crawl under a fence and drag yourself through gravel and broken glass to walk on The High Line.”
🔊 Listen to Joshua David
📍 Chelsea
ℹ️ Former President, Friends of the High Line
“I saw both the worst of it and the hope that ultimately was able to be offered.”
🔊 Listen to Sister Miriam Kevin Phillips at St. Vincent’s Hospital
📍 Greenwich Village
ℹ️ Former Nurse & Senior Vice President, St. Vincent’s & Sisters of Charity
“He chopped her up and made stew out of her in my apartment.”
🔊 Listen to James St. James
📍 East Village
ℹ️ Author, Party Monster
Television Personality, Ru Paul’s Drag Race
Former Club Kid
The scrappy process, supported by a budget of $10,000 and a donation of 5,000 surviving pay phones from Van Wagner, paved the way for the project.
Did You Know
“This is the most incredible idea of the year. It’s better programming than HBO. How the hell did they pull this off?”
Will Bourne
Editor in Chief, The Village Voice
“In my 30 years of museum experience, I’ve never seen a campaign of this magnitude for an exhibition.”
Lisa Phillips
Executive Director, New Museum
Recalling 1993 was referenced as a pick-up line in the romantic drama ”Before We Go,” starring Chris Evans. My other project, A. Human, was a challenge on “Project Runway.” ↓
Post-Launch Culture Report
A blue payphone surfaced in 2017 and exposed messages from artist Daniel Arsham's personal phone. The payphone served as a narrative tool, with callers dialing in for a chance to win a prize through random selection.