ANSWERPHONE
2016
Sound piece
This project was produced for Campo Adentro / Inland’s residency program. A second iteration was produced in collaboration with CCA-Glasgow, as part of the exhibition ‘Forms of Action’, 2017, curated by Viviana Checchia. On that occasion the work Answerphone addressed the bureaucracy that affects Scottish farmers.
Answerphone revolves around the bureaucratic practices that concern small and medium farmers, and the impact these have on their activity.
For some time now, complying with the bureaucratic model implemented by the different public administrations has become as necessary for the farmer as plowing, sowing or harvesting.
Answerphone is inspired by the forms of dialogue commonly used by the public administration with farmers. Many times, when the farmer needs to make a query, he reaches the administrations through a mechanized telephone service, in which the administration offers a menu with options and the farmer can only answer by saying "yes", "no" or "pass".
But, what would happen if it were the farmer who had a telephone service and it were the administrations, consultancies, insurance companies, banks, distributors of agrochemicals or machinery... who had the need to contact him?
That's what Answerphone is about: a sound piece articulated through a telephone number, as if it were a real answering machine.
This time it is Baudelio Merino, a fictional character, rainfed and grape farmer, who has at his disposal a telephone service to answer calls made by a supposed administration, bank, insurance company, seed house... and he will be the one who decides the options’ menu and sets the waiting times.
Through the varied menus and options, we will get to know the busy game of "roles" that he and his family have to handle.
The Answerphone can be accessed from any point in the country, by calling the number +34 951043859. From a national flat-rate landline, the call is completely free. Its operation is like that of any other answering machine: listen to the locution and press the buttons of the options that interest you most.This work is influenced by Spanish traditional theater, popular comedies and vaudeville theater, understanding this genre in its direct translation from the French "voix de ville" (voice of the people).
Through this “voice of the people” we will get to know a little better how recent agrarian policies have brought about an important change in the economic and cultural role of the farmer.
