Handling grief can be an incredibly difficult and lonely process, and everyone has their own way of dealing with it. Sometimes all we need is to reach out and speak to lost loved ones again. That’s where Wind Phones come in to provide some comfort. And now, Atlanta has our very own Wind Phone in the heart of Downtown. Keep scrolling to learn more.
What is a Wind Phone?
Wind Phones are art installations that allow passersby to grieve, experience their emotions, and connect with lost loved ones–through the art devise of a physical phone. Atlanta’s Wind Phone has a plaque out front, describing exactly what it is and how it works.
The plaque reads:
Wind Phones were first created in 2010 by Itaru Sasaki in Japan as he was grieving the death of his cousin. This concept has grown and spread in the last 15 years, and you can find Wind Phones around the world. Wind Phones are an interactive invitation to reflect and say the things we want to say to those we have lost. It is a reminder that we don’t need a response to speak to our lost loved ones. Just speaking our grief out loud with intention is potent medicine in and of itself.
And according to the Smithsonian, just mere months after the first Wind Phone was created, the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, killing more than 20,000 people. After the tragic natural disaster, Sasaki opened his Wind Phone up to neighbors, and eventually strangers who traveled from all over Japan to “speak through the ‘phone of the wind’ to those they loved.”
Where is Atlanta’s Wind Phone?
Atlanta’s Wind Phone is located in Woodruff Park, just behind the ATL sign (pictured below.) It rests on a wooden plank, against a tree.
Woodruff Park is located at 91 Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30303
So if you’re looking for somewhere to grieve, some way to speak to those who have passed, let Atlanta’s Wind Phone give you some comfort.