Telemegaphone

Ever felt like you're not being heard?

A couple of weeks ago I globe trotted over to Norway to visit a friend who was doing an industrial design placement at a design centre in the middle of the Norwegian mountains in a remote village called Dale.

Norway is well known for its innovative design ideas and Dale is no exception. On the first day of our trip we decided to attempt to climb one of the many mountains surrounding the village to check out an art installation at the top.

The Telemegaphone is an art project by design studio ‘Unsworn’, and broadcasts incoming phone calls across Dale and the fjord beside it. The idea supposedly came about when one of the creators behind the sculpture was climbing to the top of the mountain and broke his leg. Because of how high up the mountain he was it was almost impossible for help to get to him, contributing towards the idea of creating something to make communication easier in such a remote location.

Unfortunately, when we tried to phone the Telemegaphone it was closed for the season, but the idea of having something like this in England seems ridiculous. Even if it were allowed, it would no doubt have to be censored or turned off after a short period. The creators of this definitely chose the best location, and it seems there are ideas of trying the project out in other countries.

No excuses for not contacting your Mum to say you will be late for dinner then.

As well as making us address our preconceptions of what makes a place ‘remote’, the Telemegaphone has also given Dale the opportunity to interact with people around the world through modern technologies.