The Dilapidated Capitol

London is a place people already have an idea of before they come here. You see it in films, music and photos — red buses, black cabs, old buildings and red phone boxes.

The phone boxes are probably one of the biggest examples. Most of them don’t even work anymore, but people still take photos of them because they’re seen as part of what London is supposed to look like.

I wanted to show the difference between that version of London and the real one. You can have areas with a lot of poverty just five minutes away from some of the richest parts of the city. It’s a place with a lot of contrast.

The phone box is basically a symbol of a London that people recognise, even though it doesn’t really have the same purpose anymore. I wanted the model to sit inside that idea and show a different side of the city — one that feels more real than the London you normally see in films. Thank you Cherry Bird Brown for modelling!!!