For a century it has represented one of the iconic symbols of London together with Big Ben, the double-decker bus, the double-decker bus, and the black cab, the black taxi. Created a hundred years ago in 1924 in its first version, the red telephone box has undergone numerous transformations but in the collective imagination the red telephone box of the United Kingdom is model number 6, the most famous, created to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V, in 2025 it will turn 90.
Today, to pay homage to this double anniversary, the Lego artist, Maurizio Lampis from Cagliari, has created one in 1:1 scale with 100,000 bricks. A unique piece, in terms of size, in the world.
Designed by British architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Kiosks were a technological innovation and an icon of modernity in the period between the two world wars. They are still one of the symbols of the United Kingdom and its image abroad, despite the advent of smartphones having changed their original use (some even house a small museum) . In 2021, a plan was devised to save thousands of booths from decommissioning. Also installed outside London, they were equipped with a public telephone consisting of a prefabricated booth with a coin-operated and card-operated device inside. Sardinian Brick Builder Maurizio Lampis decided to design his own, retracing the 1935 English design (the Kiosk 6 or simply K6). To this he added a classic street lamp with light bulb lighting for a scene worthy of the best versions of a winter London. «These booths are one of the symbols of London. They are photographed by tourists, become the backdrop for souvenir photos, are reproduced on postcards and fridge magnets at least as much as double-decker buses», explains Lampis, «Although they are used less and less to make phone calls, they are often still in operation and in many cases protected as part of the national heritage, this is where my extravagant idea of building one in bricks started, which should also be the only one in the world made by a private individual other than the one present at the Lego Store in London. It took me 4 months of work, its dimensions are 95 cm x 95 cm with a height of 238 cm. It has a telephone inside with a coin mechanism and a telephone card».
The Lampis cabin will be visible at Si 'e Boi in Selargius, from 23 to 30 December. Opening hours: 10-13, 16-19.
(Online Union)
