Pink Cell Tower
In his piece Pink Cell Tower Julian Oliver intervenes upon the privatisation of our communication infrastructure, producing a fully functional GSM cell tower fit for the commons. A luminouis hot pink alternative to our beige and state-monitored cellular networks, Pink Cell Tower accepts connections from any mobile phone, assigning them a new 6 digit phone number in turn. This allows them to text and call others connected to the network for free, and entirely in private. Julian Oliver describes his solar-powered “extroverted infrastructure” as a plea for a truly free, ethical infrastructure. To top it off, the work will randomly call devices connected to it, and if they pick up they're treated to Stevie Wonder's 1984 classic 'I Just Called to Say I Love You'. The instructions for rebuilding the Pink Cell Tower are made available over the network.
Julian Oliver
Julian Oliver describes himself as "critical engineer" and artist. His work and talks have been presented at many museums, galleries, international electronic art events and confe-rences including Tate Modern, Transmediale, Chaos Computer Congress, Ars Electronica, FILE and the Japan Media Arts Festival. Julian has received several awards, most notably the prestigious Golden Nica at Prix Ars Electronica 2011. Julian Oliver lives and works in Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand.