Far From
Familiar Numbers, Unknown Telephone (Hong Kong): After arriving to Hong Kong, Hashimoto found a bus stop served by four bus routes, 91, 91M, 92, and 96R, and thought this combination of numbers is very similar to a mobile telephone number. When he dialed those numbers, someone picked up, and Hashimoto told him he saw his telephone number on the bust stop. He couldn’t believe it. He asked, “Is it part of an advertisement?” Hashimoto said, “No, it’s like a silkscreen print on the bus stop.” Although Hashimoto’s English is not so good, they continued this kind of silly dialogue for several minutes and he recorded everything. Afterwards, he published the transcript of the conversation in a local newspaper. Hashimoto learned that some people actually tried dialing the number themselves, so he called the man back to apologize. The calls to the telephone installed in Liverpool, destined to be picked up by no one, comes full circle with Familiar Numbers in Hong Kong. HashiFamilar Numbers, Unknown Telephone, 2012 moto says he got on and off buses aimlessly. The aimlessness of his trajectory resulted in converting common numbers into telephone numbers. The bus network led him to the owner of that number: the sole person Hashimoto “encountered” during his stay in Hong Kong—he met neither the curators nor other participants, nor even spectators. Moreover, Hashimoto did not meet the readers of his article, but caused the owner of the number to encounter several strangers. Now, perhaps the term Unknown Telephone refers not only to that guy’s telephone, but also to the fact that we know nothing about Hashimoto’s phone (or the number of the Liverpool phone). His actions enticed the desire of the readers of his newspaper article to confirm whether such a thing really occurred, leading them to call the same number. But I can’t help but think that Hashimoto had assumed the good nature of the man he called and intentionally prompted his readers to make the call. Or could it be that he had already obtained permission from the man in advance? Now I’m feeling the urge to make a phone call. Maria Sheung Chuen, June 2012
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