One Saturday morning in the North of England, amateur photographer Chris Bennett got caught in the rain — typical for the area. He took refuge in an unloved phone booth and began shooting pictures from inside.
Bennett had tried to take photos from inside the phone booth before, “but was never able to manage anything compelling.” However, as the rain continued to pour down on the main street in Lancaster, Bennett figured he might as well give his idea another go.
“I thought it would be a waste of time, as I would be shooting through two windows and the subjects would be further away, but I was wrong!” Bennett tells PetaPixel. “The ‘patina’ of poster and sticker residue, scratches, and spillages over the glass was doubled up and had a really interesting effect on the results.”
Since then, Bennett has taken hundreds more photos as it has developed into a project he calls KX-100, which refers to the phone booth’s precise model. Despite working within a 7 ft by 3 ft space, Bennett says the photos are surprisingly varied, given that they were all shot through a window.
“At one point, the windows were replaced, so I got a chance to work from a clean sheet and witness the patina building up again,” the photographer adds. “As time went on, I realized I was chronicling the last years of the British phone box coupled with a unique perspective on life in Lancaster.”
Phone Booth Photo Exhibition
Bennett says that he toyed with the idea of “holding a guerrilla exhibition in the kiosk,” but didn’t want to risk catching a criminal damage charge. However, when a sign appeared on the phone booth giving notice that it would be removed, he decided to take action.
“I contacted BT’s press office and within a day they replied to give me permission to go ahead as long as I didn’t interfere with the equipment of its removal,” he says.
The unique show officially opened on October 25 and will run until December. There are 70 4×4 prints posted inside the payphone, festooning the windows and back wall.
“I saw the removal of the phone box as an opportunity to bring the project to a fitting conclusion and to give the city the chance to see itself from this unique perspective,” adds Bennett.
“I have made the offer to viewers of the exhibition that if they see themselves in one of the photos, then they can take it with them when they go. As they are removed, I replace them with others.”
Bennett says the phone company, BT, hasn’t revealed exactly when the booth will be removed, so the images will stay put until then.
“The reaction from the public has been fantastic, with great support for the project,” he adds. More of Bennett’s work can be found on his Instagram.
Image credits: Photographs by Chris Bennett
