A treasure of 1960s New York’s conceptual art scene was revived this week via the internet.
Downtown artist John Giorno’s “Dial-A-Poem” seemed uniquely conceived for the age of mass media when it featured in a 1970 show at the Museum of Modern Art, offering exactly what it said on the label: Dial a number, hear a poem by such figures as John Ashbery, William S. Burroughs, or Anne Waldman. The project’s web version incorporates international editions for France, Mexico, Thailand, Italy, Hong Kong, Switzerland, and Brazil, further expanding access in the spirit of Giorno’s vision.
Now, “someone in the middle of the Amazon jungle can dial the number and have access to a poem,” a collaborator told The New York Times.