The Who Rock Box

Philip Neil “Phil” Wainman is a well-known British music editor, songwriter, producer and drummer, whose carear began in the 1970s, creating major musical hits of the time.

Dueto his love of the music world and the modelmaking of his youth, he created The Rock Box Series. These works are a homage to the world of rock in the form of a methacrylate box containing miniature replicas of the instruments of a band. Each box is handmade by Phil Wainman in a limited numbered edition, and dedicated to the most outstanding British rock bands, with an undeniable appeal to rock fans. Wainman made a prototype of these boxes dedicated to the Beatles for his own amusement, but the box was so praised and admired by his friends that although he had not intended to market them, he received two commissions, one from a friend in New York who is a fan of the Beatles, and another from Paul McCartney’s agent (1).

In this way, his passion was transformed into artwork, attracting the attention of gallery owners and collectors around the world. In The Rock Box Series, there are several models of the Beatles and The Who, the famous bands which, together with The Rolling Stones, were described by the Rolling Stone magazine as the holy trinity of British rock. Wainman also dedicated others of his works to another British band, Pink Floyd.

These pieces hark back somewhat to the idea of 19th century dioramas, three-dimensional models where a small scenario displayed miniature three-dimensional figures to recreate a scene. In closed methacrylate boxes of about 60 x 30 cm, Wainman shows a static scene in the form of a diorama, a setting without musicians, only the instruments positioned before the spectator. The scene is completed with electric lights that make it even more realistic.

The Who Rock Box (2012) in the Carmen Thyssen Collection is dedicated to the British band of its name, The Who, founded in 1962. The band’s instruments stand in the fareground of a scenario. In the centre is the full drum kit with Premier cymbals, toms and base drums displaying the band’s logo, from its first concerts in the 1960s, when the iconic drummer Keith Moon was still a member. On the left is a guitar and on the right another guitar with a broken guitar neck against the broken window, a reference to The Who’s famous custom of smashing their instruments at the end of the concerts. On both sides of the stage appear the Marshall amplifiers that symbolise rock music, highly valued by guitarists far their capacity and tonal versatility. At the back of the box, a mirror and slatted panel with green light that is reflectad on the other methacrylate walls frame the scene. The projected green light is undoubtedly one of the most eye-catching elements of the scene. Wainman’s work The Beatles Rock Box (2012), dedicated to another of the great British rock groups, also farms part of the Carmen Thyssen Collection.

María Luisa García Serrano

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(1) Phil Wainman at Art Wanson Gallery. www.artwansongroup.com