The installation is based on an improvised communication system used in prisons. If prisoners let water run from a sink, and someone in a neighboring cell does the same, they can hear each other — creating a makeshift alternative to a telephone.
This principle is transferred into the gallery space in the installation. Across different rooms, an interactive system of pipes develops, allowing one to speak from one place and hear the voice in another room of the gallery. In the final room, the visitor’s voice resonates in a sink sculpture — together with the voices of imprisoned people, which are usually unheard.

The “telephone” system, inspired by authentic prison practices, highlights the isolation and lack of communication among incarcerated individuals, who often seek ways to overcome walls — by calling from a window or improvising a transmission of their voice across the block.

Audio: Annabelle Plum