The Phantom Framer, who has spent the past month installing golden picture frames on street signs throughout Teddington, has revealed himself to be from picture framing company ...But is it Art, in the High Street.
In the frame: The art has attracted attention from all over the world
Golden frames first appeared on street signs in early April, to the delight of many, but most were taken down by Richmond Council as they were not in keeping with its "corporate signage policy".
April 10: Phantom framer spruces up Teddington's road signs
April 13: Council's "corporate signage policy" spells end for Phantom Framer
A poll on the Richmond and Twickenham Times website showed 93 per cent of participants believed the frames should be restored, but they remained in storage until the Phantom Framer went to collect them.
His twitter handle, @PhantomFramer, now has more than 1,500 followers and he has featured in the national news both in the UK and abroad.
Lovey day for a #cycle #Teddington Oo I loved this frame #PhantomFramer #streetart #London #bikes #cycling #rideout pic.twitter.com/5X3zEmC9zU
— Phantom Framer (@PhantomFramer) May 10, 2015
I joined the Phantom Framers on Monday evening for a night of guerrilla framing. Waiting outside Teddington Lock’s footbridge fighting off midgies, I saw a car pull up with two masked men in the front and a boot full of picture frames. Teddington's mysterious heroes had arrived.
The framers introduced themselves and set to work immediately, expertly installing a made-to-measure frame to a "Cyclists Dismount" sign.
The Phantom Framer said they came up with the idea in the pub one evening, but never expected it to get so big.
He said: "People have been bringing art work to us in our shop for 25 years and the idea was to give art back to Teddington.
"We never realised what a hit it would be; we were really chuffed to get in the Richmond and Twickenham Times.
"Then suddenly we were on a blog in Japan, on Der Speigel in Germany, we have been featured on websites in Israel, Greece, Jamaica and Japan, as well as the national news in the UK.
"A Banksy biographer gave us his seal of approval on the BBC and we’ve got a bloke in Lanarkshire who has been framing too. Let’s Phantom Frame the world!"
Masked men: Teddington needed a hero
The Phantom Framer said the cost of the framing was well worth it to give something back to the area, and they have had requests from people in nearly every road in Teddington to frame the street signs.
He said: "We wish we could but we are just a local business and don’t have the resources."
When asked whether revealing his identity would impact his work, the Phantom Framer said the public could rest assured he would continue "beautifying" the area.
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