A public phone booth on Lancaster's Penny Street is hosting a unique photography exhibition as its final act before being permanently removed from service. Street photographer Chris Bennett's 'Project X-100' is currently on display inside the KX-100 phone kiosk located outside the Marks & Spencer store in the city center, showcasing five years of documentary work capturing life in Lancaster.

The exhibition features candid portraits taken from inside the phone booth itself, documenting the diverse array of people who pass by this busy shopping street location. According to signage inside the phone booth, the collection encompasses "all of life, including the beautiful, the scary, sad, hard working, musical, joyful, protesting and even prehistoric!" The images have been captured through the phone booth's glass, which has developed "an ever evolving patina of stickers, residue from torn off posters, scratches and spills," creating what Bennett describes as "a captivating view of the people who visit, live and work in the city."

BT, the telecommunications company that owns the payphone, granted special permission for this exhibition to take place before the booth's scheduled removal. The company explained that the payphone has been taken out of commission because "not enough people use it to justify keeping it." This closure reflects the broader decline of public payphones across Britain as mobile phone usage has become ubiquitous.

The exhibition offers an interactive element for visitors, as people who spot a photograph of themselves displayed inside the phone booth are welcome to take it as a keepsake. Additionally, Bennett has provided a QR code that allows viewers to scan and leave comments on his Instagram account at chrisbennettstreet, extending the community engagement beyond the physical installation.

This creative use of the decommissioned phone booth serves as both a celebration of the iconic British telephone box and a poignant farewell to a piece of urban infrastructure that once played a vital role in daily communication. The project captures not just individual portraits but also the changing nature of public spaces and technology in modern British cities, making it a fitting tribute to mark the end of an era for public telecommunications.