Classic Phone Box Gets Creative Twist

This summer BT launches ‘BT ArtBox’ in support of ChildLine, a public art exhibition that will see Britain’s iconic red phone box transformed by some of the world’s most creative talent. Amongst the participants is experimental artist, Denis Masi, who, in collaboration with signage and display specialist Creative FX, has transformed a classic K6 telephone kiosk into a graphic work of art.

Denis Masi is one of 80 famous faces and prestigious artists involved in the project; others include Turner prize winner, Keith Tyson, Royal Academy Professor of Sculptor, David Mach, fashion designer Giles Deacon, Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes and rumours of infamous street artist, Banksy. Masi’s phone box will be displayed for the public at St Giles Circus, after which it will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s auction in the National Portrait Gallery on 18 July, to raise money for ChildLine.

“When Denis Masi commissioned us to apply his design to the iconic telephone box we were delighted to get involved,” explains Sean Davis, director of Creative FX. “Denis is a incredibly talented artist who works with a multitude of different media. We helped him create his ArtBox by applying vinyl printed with stark black and white photography, overlaid with a textured vinyl for a rustic exterior frame, and finally applying the thought-provoking words, ‘Recognisable, Reliable, Real, Renewable’ on the four corners of the box, and ‘Decisions, Dreams and Desires’ round the bottom. The result? A strikingly eerie phone booth.”

The full-size fibreglass boxes are replicas of the original telephone kiosks designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the coronation of King George V in 1936. Since then, the red boxes have become an iconic British symbol.

For Masi, this project reflects his own sentiment in recent years. “I’m fascinated by creating pieces that reflect the social power experienced at special public events and festivals,” he explains. “The Jubilee brought together thousands of people all sharing the same experience, and likewise the Olympics will create a kind of glue or social capital.”

Davis agrees: “There are so many reasons to celebrate Britain this year, and this project is definitely one of them. With such a diverse range of talented artists, it’s great to see how they all individually treat the iconic blank canvas. And that’s the beauty of using vinyl; you can take a canvas, be it a wall, a car, a shop front, or in this case a phone box and transform it into something amazing!”

Creative FX is a Bromley-based signage and display company specialising in vehicle liveries and automotive services, as well as shop signs and digital wallpaper.

We specialise in the design, production and installation of vehicle wraps for both the commercial and retail sectors. Any design can be used, from simple text and logo to a fully photographic vehicle wrap.

As well as wrapping individual vehicles, the Creative FX team has also carried out projects for major car manufacturers, and has completed numerous special commission projects for events and charities, such as: Arsenal FC (Teenage Cancer Trust); Mazda (618 vehicles wrapped in Belgium); Skoda (Fastest 2 litre production car ever); and two chrome Audi R8s auctioned at Elton John’s White Tie and Tiara Ball for £620,000.

Creative FX also provides stone chip protection and window tinting services, and is an authorised supplier of vehicle badging for a number of leading car manufacturers including Volkswagen Group, Audi UK, Nissan GB, Toyota GB, Subaru UK, Kia Motors, Hyundai UK and Renault UK.

Sean Davis
020 8313 1146
www.fxuk.net

Creative FX
145 Masons Hill, 
Bromley
, Kent
, BR2 9HW

This release was published on openPR.