My name is Germaine Koh, and I am a Canadian artist who is presenting a new interactive artwork as part of the ISEA / ZeroOne San Jose Festival of electronic art, taking place August 7-13. The project I am exhibiting makes telephone connections between strangers, as a sort of experiment in public behavior between anonymous individuals and a means of making unexpected connections between real people. The project uses a telephone that I have modified to randomly dial one of the project participants each time the phone's handset is picked up.

I am looking for volunteer participants who are willing to receive phone calls on your own telephone during the opening hours of the week-long exhibition at the San Jose Museum of Art, and (attempt to) have phone conversations with the stranger on the other end of the line. No particular skills, background or cultural knowledge are required -- just a willingness to talk. You may speak whatever languages you can. Your conversations will not be monitored, and your identity will be kept completely anonymous. You will likely encounter a variety of people and personalities. I imagine that you might receive up to a dozen calls a day, but of course the amount of time you end up devoting to any particular conversation would depend completely upon your own schedule at the time.

To participate or if you have further questions, please contact me at or telephone at 1-416-825-9745. For more about my work in general you can visit my website, www.germainekoh.com, or for more information about the festival, go to www.01sj.org.