By Karen Whaley

When you’re stuck in a prison tower in Northern Ireland, sometimes all you want is a call from home.
Since June 30, Toronto-based performance artist Astrid Bin has been living in Curfew Tower, a 19th century building that once housed the criminals of Cushendall, County Antrim. Curfew Tower is the property of music industry icon Bill Drummond, who formerly managed bands like Echo and the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes. Drummond has also had an active career as an artist, infamously burning a million pounds in 1994, and uses the building as a residence for visiting artists.
Tower living has its drawbacks: Astrid has been without television, phone, mobile signal, or internet for two weeks. In fact, nobody in the whole town has the internet, with the exception of the local library. Her residency will culminate in a piece titled Call Me, where she will spend 24 hours living in the red telephone box outside of the tower, waiting for a voice from home.
From 9:00 a.m. EST on July 12 until 9:00 a.m. EST on July 13, you can dial 01144 2821 771 200 and speak to Astrid about any subject for as long as you’d like to talk (and pay for long distance).
Astrid’s previous projects have included taping herself naked to a gallery floor, getting her hands caught in mousetraps, and being kissed by hundreds of people. Her last project, My Million Dollar Year, garnered international media attention and fair amount of hate mail.

Photos by ladyflashhh and Jimbofin.