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All the United Kingdom Scotland Edinburgh The Porty Light Box
AO Edited

The Porty Light Box

An iconic red telephone box turned tiny art gallery.

Edinburgh, Scotland

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linkogecko
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The Light Box has an exhibit by Fi Bailey as of September 2019.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
‘Let-Up’ by Fi Bailey   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Dedication of the Light Box.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Iconic British phone box   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
“A Celebration of Christmas”, December 2020   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
“A Celebration of Christmas”, December 2020   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
“Fired Earth” by Jenny Martin and Stephen Long, November 2020.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
“Fired Earth” by Jenny Martin and Stephen Long, November 2020.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
The Light Box at night, without an exhibition as of January 2020.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
“Fitting In?” exhibit for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month, June 2021.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
“Fitting In?” exhibit for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month, June 2021.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
“A Celebration of Christmas”, December 2020   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Environmentally-themed exhibition for COP26, late October 2021.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
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About

For many years, the red telephone box on the corner of Bellfield Street and Abercorn Terrace served as a well-known meeting and communication point for residents of the Edinburgh suburb of Portobello (or "Porty" for short). As public telephone use declined, authorities began removing many of these iconic boxes, but the local community of Porty rallied behind this particular phone box in order to give it a second life.

A crowdfunding campaign was proposed to make this the first phone box in the world to be officially turned into an art gallery. While the phone box had previously been intervened with installations—like a hand-knit telephone donated anonymously and hung in its interior—it wasn't until after its successful campaign that it finally became the Light Box, a tiny and quirky art gallery.

The first official exhibit was in November 2013, featuring drawings made by local schoolchildren. Since then, the Porty Light Box has been showcasing a rotating variety of displays, most created by local Portobello and Edinburgh artists. Merging of something as iconically, traditionally British as a red phone box with new art forms inspired by the space, the Light Box represents a hopeful glimpse at the future of repurposing public infrastructure.

Related Tags

Phone Booths Art Gallery Gallery Art Telecommunications

Know Before You Go

The Light Box is placed next to one of Portobello's main roads and visible at any time. Check the official site for the current exhibits; some feature lighting that makes it better to visit at night.

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Added By

linkogecko

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SEANETTA

  • SEANETTA

Published

October 4, 2019

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  • https://www.spacehive.com/theportylightbox
The Porty Light Box
304 Portobello High St
Edinburgh, Scotland
United Kingdom
55.951455, -3.108721
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