ANAT and UniSC partnered with A Curious Tractor on the Gold.Phone for ANAT SPECTRA to help shape conversations and document what Reciprocity means to the community and those attending the in-person event.

We installed the Gold.Phone at UniSC Art Gallery as part of the Reciprocity exhibition and program. Anyone could leave a message, either in person or remotely. During the gathering A Curious Tractor shared the importance of leaving a voice message and demonstrated how the messages left on The Gold.Phone have created a repository of thematics from the collective voice.

Responses were recorded, archived and then thoughtfully analysed using custom code and AI to surface themes, stories and patterns, creating key questions we used during our conversation session.

DAY 2 :: CONVERSE photograph Marcia Grimm

“Within 200 milliseconds of hearing someone speak, we detect their emotional truth – a biological fact that no amount of digital optimization can replicate. The Gold Phone operates on this principle: reciprocity isn’t built through efficient exchange but through the vulnerable act of speaking into silence, leaving a gift of voice without guarantee of return.

Each voicemail becomes an artifact of human presence, creating bonds across time that instant messages erase. The apparent inefficiency – the pause to gather thoughts, the inability to edit, the wait for response is precisely the mechanism that transforms communication from transaction into gift.”
— Benjamin Knight

Day 2 presentation A Curious Tractor about The Gold.Phone, photograph Marcia Grimm.

10 key questions and random Gold.Phone artefacts

Exploration of reciprocity through visual and audio experiments highlights the importance of genuine interactions over mere exchanges. Key questions address the nature of reciprocity in human relationships, technology, and environmental stewardship. The concept extends beyond transactions to encompass connections with nature and overlooked materials, emphasizing the need for balance and intentionality in exchanges. The relationship with technology is questioned, suggesting it may not be reciprocal. Ultimately, reciprocity is framed as a complex, evolving process that shapes our interactions with the world.

Read the Gold.Phone FAQs

About a Curious Tractor

A Curious Tractor (ACT) fosters co-creation between communities impacted by injustice and those who hold resources, skills, or influence. Founders Nicholas Marchesi, an artist and provocateur and Benjamin Knight, a storyteller and change-maker, create interactive works that explore human connection, mindfulness, and playful dysfunction.

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Presented by ANAT and UniSC, on Kabi Kabi Country, in the heart of the Sunshine Coast Biosphere Reserve, ANAT SPECTRA 2025 :: Reciprocity brings together Australian artists working at the intersections of art, science, and technology to explore the ethics and possibilities of reciprocal exchange.