Replica of London skyline appears in capital city - made from recycled tech
Londoners may feel like they are seeing double today (Thursday), as a replica of the iconic London skyline has appeared – made from recycled SIM cards and network equipment.
The striking model, dubbed “The Connected Skyline”, measures 20 feet long, 10 feet high, and four feet deep, and features the capital city's most iconic landmarks – from Big Ben and the London Eye, to the newly renovated Battersea Power Station.
It was created by Vodafone, to celebrate the mobile phone network being crowned as “London's Best Network”, by European testing company, NET CHECK.
And London has also been named the UK's most connected city, followed by Manchester and Liverpool.
It comes as Vodafone also commissioned research of 2,000 adults – which found they make an average of almost 1,000 connections each, per month, from emails and messages, to phone calls.
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In a typical month, the average Brit sends 262 messages, 149 emails, and makes 152 phone calls – with best friends (36%) and partners (33%) most likely to be on the receiving end, followed by parents (22%).
This equates to 30 hours a month spent communicating with friends and family – with WhatsApp (58%), phone calls (48%), and SMS (28%) the most popular ways of connecting.
Vodafone unveils ‘The Connected Skyline’ to celebrate being named London's Best Network by NET CHECK (PinPep)“The Connected Skyline” piece was created by Brixton-based artist and sculptor, Alex Wright (AKA “Wreckage”), who has been making art from waste materials for more than 35 years.
It took 19 days to carefully craft, from nearly a tonne of recycled tech, network equipment, and SIMs.
Alex Wright said: “Having lived in London for 17 years, I feel very connected to the city, so getting to work on this project for Vodafone with my talented team, and re-imagine some of the city’s most iconic landmarks using recycled tech, has been a lot of fun.
“To re-create this iconic skyline, celebrating connectivity, I got to handpick recycled materials of all shapes and sizes, from network equipment to SIMs and devices, taking influence from the original designs, and breathing new life into them as the skyline took shape.”
Max Taylor, chief commercial officer at Vodafone, added: “We know how important it is to stay connected to those closest to us, and we are committed to providing our customers with the very best service across the capital and beyond.
“We are incredibly proud to have been recognised as London’s Best Network, and we’re excited to unveil this unique installation in London to celebrate.”
The study also found the top reasons for Brits getting in touch with one another include “checking in to say hi” (45%), sharing life updates (30%), and arranging meet-ups (28%) – and the most popular time for having these conversations is between 6pm and 7pm.
Looking beyond a strong mobile connection, the study also found 54% of those polled, via OnePoll.com, want to feel connected to their hometown.
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Access to local restaurants or cafes (31%), events (30%), independent shops (25%), and cultural happenings (20%), are among the things that make Brits feel most connected to their local area.
“The Connected Skyline” will be available to view at the Observation Point on London’s South Bank, for one day only, on August 24.
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