THEY are known for running the city's smallest gallery in a pair of iconic grade II listed red phone boxes near Town Quay.

Now curators at K6 gallery are taking art to the people with an innovative new exhibition.

Photographs and poems inspired by the passengers and places along the number 17 bus route - as well by songwriter Craig David - will go on show - on the buses themselves.

Toby Glanville and Ella Frears have been commissioned by K6 gallery to come up with a new body of work made while spending time on the Bluestar line.

From December 1 the images and words will be on display on the buses - which runs from town to Shirley, Southampton hospital and back through Lordshill.

At the same time work by poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and photographer Nancy Honey will go on show in the phone boxes on Town Quay.

Their work was made 25 years ago after Southampton City Council commissioned the pair to ride the city's buses and produce a collection of poetry and photographs.

K6 curators Mia Delve and Alex Batten said this year's exhibition is a bid to celebrate the original "little known" City Bus project.

Photographer Toby Glanville said he applied for the commission for the "challenge" of photographing on a moving vehicle.

He added: "It's not an easy thing to do. I live in London but anybody in a city is familiar with the idea of being on a bus. Any bus passenger is a voyeur looking out of the window - but the people and things we are looking at we are kind of unseen.

Poet Ella added: "I got the 5.20am bus on one day and chatted to the driver - it was still dark he had just lost his nan so we ended up talking about that. Sometimes people are more open with a stranger - that was particularly moving for me.

"The challenge was how to represent that without being too much of a voyeur if you're only looking at one section of society.

"You don't want to be exploitative - these are real people's lives. I wanted to find an honest connection that doesn't seem like you are using them."

But Ella also took inspiration from Southampton singer Craig David - and has worked some of his lyrics into her songs.