HELLO MACHINE
RACHEL HANLON
The Hello Geelong exhibition is a nostalgic call to action—a reminder of how we once lived, accessed through how we once communicated. Hosted in the dynamic Thirdspace Gallery + Digital, this unique exhibition evolves in real time. As the exhibition progresses, it actively grows through the contributions of Geelong’s residents. The people of Geelong are invited to add their own yarn to weave our stories together in a collective tapestry containing the multifaceted stories of our community.
When you pick up the Hello Geelong telephone receiver, you embark on a reflective journey about your personal connections and memories of Geelong. Your shared memories are not only preserved for future generations, but they also undergo a transformative process. They are woven into a visual narrative, a short film that brings together the voices and stories of your Geelong. This poignant and immersive representation of the community’s collective memory is a testament to the power of preservation and sharing.
Telephones in film and literature connect us to the concept of sharing distance and time; with the Hello Geelong exhibition, I hope to capture the memories and stories of the people of Geelong within a shared collective project that will become a living and breathing archive, nuanced by the actual voices of its storytellers, the people of Geelong.
- RACHEL HANLON
Hello Machine: 'Hello Geelong' AI future storytelling
Rachel Hanlon's Hello Machine captured the memories and stories of the people of Geelong during August-September 2024.
These recordings have been re-interpreted by using artificial intelligence to create this video narrative. It will become a living and breathing archive, nuanced by the actual voices of its storytellers, the people of Geelong. 'Hello Geelong' was housed in Creative Geelong's Third Space Gallery + Digital with support from Geelong Connected Communities.
ARTIST BIO - RACHEL HANLON
Rachel Hanlon is an artist working in the field of Media Archaeology. Her telephony artworks make the layered metaphors and meanings of technology and sociability available to the public, which are heightened by our cultural reliance on them as part of the narrative of our times. Hanlon’s interactive installations stimulate thoughts regarding objects/things in relation to the passing of time, changes to our ‘selves and our rituals, cementing the telephone as an object that verifies its place within our history as part of our cultural voice. Hanlon’s use of the public as co-producers of her works reveals the connections we make with others and ourselves through technology. Her recent body of work, Hello Machine, has shown internationally at the Ars Electronica Festival, Science Gallery Melbourne, Dublin, Venice, Berlin, Japan and the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. Hanlon holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Visual Arts), Bachelor of Arts (Hons with Distinction), and has recently completed a PhD at Deakin University, Geelong.