2282. The Bearpit (183)

In recent days, The Bearpit has been shut off and there is no access. Bristol City Council stealthily went in to evict a group of rough sleepers who had made themselves at home in a bus (formerly a cafe) and some container units. In forcing the eviction they have completely closed down the space. This was an not an inevitable conclusion to the problems caused by homelessness, addiction, antisocial behaviour in The Bearpit but  a terrible failure in ‘upstream’ thinking about how to tackle the issue.

As a result of this intervention, all the good things about this public space have been closed down, possibly permanently. In my view this has been really poorly managed by Bristol City Council, but I would concede that they are grossly underfunded and what we are witnessing is the result of years of austerity and public sector funding cuts, and this in one of the wealthiest construes in the world. Disgraceful.

I say all of this because this lovely piece by Panskaribas is likely to be one of the last I will be posting from The Bearpit for some time.

Panskaribas, The Bearpit, Bristol, June 2019
Panskaribas, The Bearpit, Bristol, June 2019

Panskaribas is probably the easiest artist to identify in Bristol on account of his kind of cubist-doodle style and this is a wonderful example of his work. The other outstanding thing about this artist is his incredible energy, he seems to be the most prolific artist in Bristol currently. RIP The Bearpit.

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2281. Norfolk Place (5)

Sometimes you’ve just got to go big and bold, and they don’t come much bigger and bolder than this fine piece of writing from Soker. This is a wall that doesn’t seem to change all that often, and is usually occupied by an ASK artist.

Soker, Norfolk Place, Bristol, April 2019
Soker, Norfolk Place, Bristol, April 2019

There is a lot to like about this piece which looks so graceful, clean and simple, but it takes a lot of skill and experience to pull off writing like this. The letter font is easy on the eye, and the green and white highlights help to give a 3D appearance, and the whole thing is set off on a nice background of cool colours and shapes. It is the pink touches that add just a little bit of class. A fine work.

2280. New Stadium Road (14)

It is always great getting an early glimpse of a new artist in town, and this angry mouse is one of a few recent pieces by Saik One, whose work I have not seen or written about before.

Saik One, New Stadium Road, Bristol, April 2019
Saik One, New Stadium Road, Bristol, April 2019

At first I thought it might have been a return to Bristol for Angry Face (whose work I haven’t seen for a while now) on account of the sharp teeth, but this has a personality all of its own. I found another of Saik One’s pieces early this morning, so plenty more to come from Saik One soon, and perhaps I can do a little digging to find out more about the artist.

2279. Porlock Road

Exploring new parts of Bristol always has its rewards, and I found this piece by Andy Council completely by accident when I went on a pilgrimage to see the My Dog Sighs and Curtis Hylton collaboration up on Windmill Hill.

Andy Council, Porlock Road, Bristol, April 2019
Andy Council, Porlock Road, Bristol, April 2019

It seems that Andy Council’s pieces are dotted all over Bristol, and after five years of writing posts like this one, I still have several more to find. The reason that his work is so dispersed is that he does a lot of private commissions and so he is not confined to the few ‘legal’ spots in Bristol to show off his fabulous work.

Andy Council, Porlock Road, Bristol, April 2019
Andy Council, Porlock Road, Bristol, April 2019

This splendid peacock is a great example of Andy Council at his very best in which the whole creation is made up of buildings typical of the area in Bristol. The blue colour scheme suits this piece and the wall superbly. A great find, and good to know that there are still these hidden gems all over the place.

2278. River Frome

I love this recent piece by Haka adjacent to the M32 roundabout where the River Frome flows from a culvert that carries it under the motorway. It is a very witty pun piece which I guess might be called ‘Where’s Whaley’ after the children’s puzzle books.

Haka, River Frome, Bristol, June 2019
Haka, River Frome, Bristol, June 2019

I guess that it was painted when the river was low before the sustained period of rain we have had recently. Another feature of Haka’s work is that he usually accompanies it with a tribute to a graffiti writer friend of his, CKOne, who passed away in a motorcycle accident in December 2011. It is touching that he continues to honour his friend in this way.