World Art Utopia

Out of Order

David Mach's Out of Order in Kingston upon Thames: a curving row of red telephone boxes toppling into one another like dominoes along Old London Road.
Artwork FileKingston upon Thames, UK

Out of Order

SeenMay 2021

David Mach · Old London Road, Kingston upon Thames · 1989

Photo: Loco Steve / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0), taken 23 February 2018, as published on Street Art Utopia.

Out of Order is a 1989 sculpture by David Mach on Old London Road in Kingston upon Thames: twelve red telephone boxes that lean into one another like falling dominoes. The boxes were cleaned and repainted for the work’s 30th anniversary in 2019. Source Source Checked

Seen May 2021: the newest dated photograph we found was taken on 27 May 2021 and shows the boxes in place. We found nothing newer with a date. Source Checked

More photos

The twelve bright red telephone boxes of Out of Order leaning in a curving row on a brick plinth in Kingston upon Thames, in May 2021.
2021 Bright red, two years after the 30th-anniversary repaintingPhoto: Ethan Doyle White / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

💡 4 things to know

  1. Twelve retired boxesMach used twelve retired telephone boxes from British Telecom and set them up to look as if they were toppling like dominoes. Source Checked
  2. On Old London Road since 1989London Museum describes the toppling row of red telephone boxes as Out of Order, a 1989 sculpture by David Mach. Source Checked
  3. Cherry red again at 30By 2019 the boxes had faded and worn; for the 30th anniversary they were cleaned and repainted cherry red. Source Checked
  4. An early MachThe 2005 photographer’s caption calls the boxes a Kingston landmark since December 1989 and one of David Mach’s earliest works. Source Reported

📍 Where it is

Old London Road, Kingston upon Thames, south-west London. Source Checked

Open in Maps

Opens a map search for the sculpture on Old London Road.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 1989Dec

    Installed, per the 2005 photo caption

  2. 200514 Aug

    Mark Percy photographs it · camera date

  3. 201823 Feb

    Loco Steve photographs it · camera date

  4. 2019

    Cleaned and repainted for its 30th · Londonist

  5. 202127 May

    Ethan Doyle White photographs it · camera date

Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.

🗞️ In the sources

London MuseumLondon’s iconic red telephone boxes

“A toppling row of red telephone boxes forms Out of Order, a sculpture by the artist David Mach from 1989.”

Read the source

Kingston First29 June 2021

“David Mach RA, artist and creator of ‘Out of Order’ (1989)”

Read the source

✅ The facts

Artist
David Mach Source Source Checked
Title
Out of Order Source Source Checked
Installed
December 1989, according to the 2005 photo caption Source Reported
Material
Twelve retired red telephone boxes Source Checked
Location
Old London Road, Kingston upon Thames Source Checked
Restoration
2019: cleaned and repainted cherry red for the 30th anniversary Source Checked
Status today
In place in the newest dated photo, 27 May 2021 Source Checked

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Last checked: 5 November 2026. How we verify art