I’ve always had a thing for those red British telephone booths. When I first travelled to the UK in 2007, I even wondered if there was any way I could send one home with me.
And what do you know, just this past April, BT was putting up 60 of these emblematic phone booths up for sale. But at the cost of $3100 plus shipping (think of the weight!), the cast iron kiosk remains a far-off dream for me.
But I digress…
The point of this post is of my utter delight in reading that to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Childline, a children’s charity, 82 of these red telephone booths were getting a splashy make-over all across London.
Photos: Jeff Moore
There’s so much creative energy in London. Oh, how I miss it. If I was in London right now, I would totally go on the hunt to see all 82 BT artboxes. There’s last minute cheap flights to London in the high season of summer, right?
On my first trip to London, completely by happenstance, I stumbled onto Gibson’s Guitar Town at More London, down by the South Bank area. To raise funds for The Prince’s Trust, Teenage Cancer Trust and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, the Gibson Foundation invited 29 visual and musical artists to come up with a custom design for the 10 ft Gibson Les Paul guitar sculptures. It was a concrete field of guitars.
His Master’s Voice designed by James Holdsworth. Signed by Bruce Dickenson.
L: You Wear It Well designed by Michael English. Signed by Rod Stewart.
R: Armes Prydein designed by Mauricio Ortiz. Signed by Robert Plant
Mod designed by Peter Blake. Signed by Paul Weller.
I considered myself extremely lucky to have come across Guitar Town, as I was just mere hours away from boarding my return flight. I was even wheeling around my luggage with me.
Sadly for me, it’s not meant to be with the artboxes, as they are only on display until July 16.
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