PHONE BOOTHS-GROUP 1

PHONE BOOTHS

In its simplest state a telephone booth can be described as a box that one would enter in order to make a phone call in a public place. The booth provides comfort from noise and the elements. On the other end of the spectrum the telephone booth is part of a complex global communication network that links people together. The telephone booth is a small building that is culturally important and rich with history. It has it roots in a time of great progress and invention during the industrial revolution. They began to emerge in industrialized countries in the later 19th century in areas of high traffic and later would dot the entire urban fabric as they do today. The principal behind the telephone booth remains the same however they have gone through an evolution of style, form and structure. The materials used have evolved from wood structure to a more sophisticated us of modern metals, glass, plastic and fibreglass. Form has evolved from heavily ornamented gothic and classical inspired kiosks to sleek modern glass pavilions. The phone booth is deeply embedded in our culture. There have been numerous instances where phone booths have emerged in popular culture to become cultural icons. The red telephone boxes of England have remained on the streets because of how they have become part of the cultural context. Unfortunately with the rise of cell phone use it has been suggested that the survival of the telephone booth is in question. Some countries have gotten rid of them completely. But perhaps it is too soon to write off this small building. Much like kiosks were adaptively reused for phone booths at the turn of the century perhaps the future lies with retrofitting phone booths with the latest in communication technology. The internet is already popping up in phone booths all over the world. There are some booths that are designated simply for cell phone use. There have even been proposals for the possibility of creating communication pods that would have desks for a laptop. All this suggest that the evolution of this small building type continues.

Poster By:

s. banerd, j.black, m. Cameron, j.han, r. jang, j. jirasek, a. Massender, l. parks, m.siemicki