Photo: Kiev.Victor/Shutterstock

London’s Tumbling Phone Booths Sculpture Is Coming Back After a Makeover

London News Art + Architecture
by Tim Wenger Apr 12, 2019

Britain’s red phone booths are not a functioning lifeline these days, but they have been an icon of the country since their inception in the 1920s and evoke a lot of nostalgia. Those who long for the days when there was one on every street corner love artist David Mach‘s 1989 sculpture titled “Out of Order” that uses 12 of them in a playful way. The large red booths seem to fall onto each other much like a row of domino tiles.

To celebrate its 30th anniversary, the popular structure was closed to the public while being refurbished and is now back to its pristine self — as ready for Instagram as it ever was. The installation is located on Old London Road in the southwest suburbs of Kingston upon Thames.

Outdoor sculpture in London

Photo: Kiev.Victor/Shutterstock

The artist, David Mach, seems pleased with the makeover. “I’m very happy to see ‘Out of Order’ being refurbished,” he said. “It’s one of my best outdoor sculptures. I love these boxes and isn’t it funny that even in these times and although they were removed from the British landscape, I feel they still bind us as a nation.”

H/T: Lonely Planet

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