Today Calls (April)

(2017)

Daily feed at the dedicated project site Today Calls.Website.

Related works: Dial 9 (for NSCAD), Dial 40 (for Art Metropole), Publick, SeptSixUn-QuatreHuitQuatreUn, Stéréophonie, Tue, un jeudi téléphonique.

Texts by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, Christof Migone, and Jordan Scott.

Kathryn and Jordan were invited to pick a historical event for every day of the year (from the events that Wikipedia lists for every day). They wrote a response, and in turn, I wrote a response to theirs (plus took account of the prompts they chose).

Today Calls You. Do you answer the call? If so, how and when? Today.

Each day another X appears (January 1: 1, December 31: 365/366).

On the right you see the fourth month, the links below get you to all other months:
– JANUARY
– FEBRUARY
– MARCH
– APRIL
– MAY
– JUNE
– JULY
– AUGUST
– SEPTEMBER
– OCTOBER
– NOVEMBER
– DECEMBER

The installation version with telephones features the voices of Lauren Cullen, Amy Fung, Francisco-Fernando Granados, Marla Hlady, Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, Christof Migone, and Niloufar Salimi.

Project made possible thanks to funding provided by the Ontario Arts Council.

​

April 1:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 33 – Last Supper, as calculated by Professor Colin Humphreys.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 33 – Last Supper, as calculated by Professor Colin Humphreys.

April 2:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1972 – Actor Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States for the first time since being labeled a communist during the Red Scare in the early 1950s.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1912 – The ill-fated RMS Titanic begins sea trials.

April 3:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1888 – The first of eleven unsolved brutal murders of women committed in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of London, occurs.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1912 – The ill-fated RMS Titanic begins sea trials.

April 4:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1968 – Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1768 – In London, Philip Astley stages the first modern circus.

April 5:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1958 – Ripple Rock, an underwater threat to navigation in the Seymour Narrows in Canada is destroyed in one of the largest non-nuclear controlled explosions of the time.
Text by Christof Migone (left). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1614 – In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe.

April 6:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1327 – The poet Petrarch first sees his idealized love, Laura, in the church of Saint Clare in Avignon.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1992 – The Bosnian War begins.

April 7:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1948 – A Buddhist monastery burns in Shanghai, China, leaving twenty monks dead.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1906 – Mount Vesuvius erupts and devastates Naples.

April 8:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 2006 – Shedden massacre: The bodies of eight men, all shot to death, are found in a field in Shedden, Ontario, Canada. The murders are soon linked to the Bandidos Motorcycle Club.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1820 – The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos.

April 9:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1957 – The Suez Canal in Egypt is cleared and opens to shipping.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 2013 – At least 13 people are killed and another three injured after a man goes on a spree shooting in the Serbian village of Velika Ivanča.

April 10:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 837 – Halley’s Comet makes its closest approach to Earth at a distance equal to 0.0342 AU (5.1 million kilometres, 3.2 million miles).
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1912 – RMS Titanic sets sail from Southampton, England on her maiden and only voyage.

April 11:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1961 – The trial of Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1981 – A massive riot in Brixton, south London, results in almost 300 police injuries and 65 serious civilian injuries.

April 12:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1980 – Terry Fox begins his “Marathon of Hope” at St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1980 – Terry Fox begins his “Marathon of Hope” at St. John’s, Newfoundland.

April 13:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1953 – CIA director Allen Dulles launches the mind-control program Project MKUltra.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1992 – The Great Chicago flood devastates much of central Chicago.

April 14:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1561 – Celestial phenomenon over Nuremberg.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1912 – The British passenger liner RMS Titanic hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 23:40 (sinks morning of April 15th).

April 15:


Text by Jordan Scott (center). Prompt: 2014 – More than 200 female students are declared missing after a mass kidnapping in Borno State, Nigeria.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1912 – The British passenger liner RMS Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic at 2:20 a.m., two hours and forty minutes after hitting an iceberg. Only 710 of 2,227 passengers and crew on board survive.

April 16:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1990 – The “Doctor of Death”, Jack Kevorkian, participates in his first assisted suicide.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1943 – Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the hallucinogenic effects of the research drug LSD. He intentionally takes the drug three days later on April 19.

April 17:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1897 – The Aurora, Texas, UFO incident.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1897 – The Aurora, Texas, UFO incident.

April 18:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1930 – BBC reported there was no news, then played out with piano music.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1521 – Trial of Martin Luther begins its second day during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. He refuses to recant his teachings despite the risk of excommunication. 1909 – Joan of Arc is beatified in Rome.

April 19:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 2013 – Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev is killed in a shootout with police. His brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is captured while hiding in a boat inside a backyard in Watertown, Massachusetts.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1943 – Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann deliberately takes LSD for the first time.

April 20:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1535 – The sun dog phenomenon observed over Stockholm and depicted in the famous painting Vädersolstavlan.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 2010 – The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers and beginning an oil spill that would last six months.
April 21:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1934 – The “Surgeon’s Photograph”, the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail (in 1999, it is revealed to be a hoax).
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1934 – The “Surgeon’s Photograph”, the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail (in 1999, it is revealed to be a hoax).

April 22:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1889 – At noon, thousands rush to claim land in the Land Rush of 1889. Within hours the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie are formed with populations of at least 10,000.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1889 – At noon, thousands rush to claim land in the Land Rush of 1889. Within hours the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie are formed with populations of at least 10,000.

April 23:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 2005 – First YouTube video uploaded, titled “Me at the zoo”.

April 24:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 2005 – The final piece of the Obelisk of Axum is returned to Ethiopia after being stolen by the invading Italian army in 1937.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 2015 – Riots break out in Baltimore, Maryland following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody.

April 25:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 2005 – The final piece of the Obelisk of Axum is returned to Ethiopia after being stolen by the invading Italian army in 1937.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 2015 – Riots break out in Baltimore, Maryland following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody.

April 26:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1989 – The deadliest tornado in world history strikes Central Bangladesh, killing upwards of 1,300, injuring 12,000, and leaving as many as 80,000 homeless.

April 27:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1941 – World War II: German troops enter Athens.

Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1667 – The blind and impoverished John Milton sells the copyright of Paradise Lost for £10.

April 28:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1988 – Near Maui, Hawaii, flight attendant Clarabelle “C.B.” Lansing is blown out of Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737, and falls to her death when part of the plane’s fuselage rips open in mid-flight.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1967 – Vietnam War: Boxer Muhammad Ali refuses his induction into the United States Army and is subsequently stripped of his championship and license.

April 29:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1770 – James Cook arrives at and names Botany Bay, Australia.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (cerightnter). Prompt: 1991 – A cyclone strikes the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh with winds of around 155 miles per hour (249 km/h), killing at least 138,000 people and leaving as many as ten million homeless.

April 30:


Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 2000 – Canonization of Faustina Kowalska in the presence of 200,000 people and the first Divine Mercy Sunday celebrated worldwide.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1517 – Evil May Day xenophobic riots in London begin.

JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER