Poetry Through the Telephone
The M+ Museum in Hong Kong has transformed its Focus Gallery into a living sonic archive with Dial-A-Poem Hong Kong, an interactive exhibition on view from 25 April to 30 August 2026. Inspired by the radical 1969 conceptual artwork by American poet and activist John Giorno, the exhibition reimagines poetry as a public and participatory experience, bringing spoken word into direct conversation with everyday life. Grounded in Giorno’s belief that poetry is often meant to be heard rather than simply read, Dial-A-Poem Hong Kong uses one of the most familiar forms of communication — the telephone — to collapse the boundary between literary art and daily experience. Inside the M+ Focus Gallery, visitors encounter sculptural telephone installations that invite them to lift a receiver and listen. Each call connects the listener to a randomly selected recording from a curated archive of poetic voices, making every encounter unpredictable and deeply personal. The exhibition also includes historical documentation of the original 1969 New York Dial-A-Poem project, which became an important platform for countercultural expression, experimentation, and political dialogue. In its Hong Kong adaptation, M+ expands this legacy through a newly commissioned archive featuring approximately 30 cross-generational poets. Contributors include major literary figures such as Yasi, Xixi, Bei Dao, Lok Fung, and contemporary artist Olivier Cong, with works presented in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. What makes Dial-A-Poem Hong Kong especially compelling is that participation is not limited to the museum space. Visitors do not need to purchase a ticket or enter the gallery to experience the project. By dialing +852 3009-9386, callers can connect to the rotating poetry archive from anywhere in Hong Kong, whether they are riding the MTR, walking through Central, or standing amid the dense movement of Kowloon’s streets. Because each track is selected at random, every call becomes a singular…