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“The Listening Post”

Installation artist Tim Brown is on the line and ready to take your calls

A A A Comments By Melanie Pang Thursday, Mar 12 2009

Want to bitch about your boss? Snitch on a two-timing girlfriend? Call Tim Brown, the artist behind “The Listening Post.”He has a free and anonymous say-anything call center, but it’s more than just random chitchat; it’s art. “I used to work at a call center, and…I started drawing portraits of the people I was talking to and portraying them in how I thought they might look,” says Brown. “I did about 250 of those and I started compiling them in different ways.” The result? A large, original painting made up of 200 portraits that is the centerpiece of “Listening Post.” The exhibit also includes computers stationed in drab cubicle installations where you can sit and learn about call centers and Brown’s past experiences.

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At the exhibition’s opening, Brown will be taking live phone calls from Houstonians while illustrating their supposed features as they speak. “I bought a Bluetooth and everything so I can be hands-free…and I look stupid, I think, but I use it anyway,” says Brown. “You know, the way that you can make a hipster the most uncomfortable, I’ve found, is to wear a Bluetooth. Hipsters don’t like Bluetooth.” After the opening, Brown would appreciate having more calls for more material to add to his ever-evolving project. Call 1-877-EARS-KNOW to participate. It’s “hard finding a catchy toll-free number these days,” Brown says.

“The Listening Post” opening reception and artist talk will be at 6 p.m. March 13. Regular viewing hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Through April 18. Lawndale Art Center, 4912 Main. For information, call 713-528-5858 or visit www.lawndaleartcenter.org. Free.

Saturdays, 12-5 p.m.; Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Starts: March 14. Continues through April 18, 2009

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