Month: July 2016

349. Upfest 2016 (8)

In the Upfest brochure…yes there was a brochure…there is an entry for ArquiCostura, but I think it may have been translated directly from her website using Google translate, and it is a little peculiar. I think it attempts to say that her work builds up pictures from the pixel size upwards, which I guess is how cross-stitch kind of works anyhow. Her work in the Steam Crane pub is absolutely wonderful, and set subtly at the back of the yard.

ArquiCostura, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
ArquiCostura, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

I believe from reading her Facebook page that she did another piece in Raleigh Road at the Tobacco Factory, but I don’t recall seeing it. I’ll have to go take another look. It is so refreshing to have needlework represented at Upfest which really does seem to embrace all forms of street art.

348. Upfest 2016 (7)

Meeting the artists was, for me, one of the great pleasures of being at Upfest this year, and so it was with stopping to chat for a while with ObjectØØØ. Heaven only knows how he and other artists managed to get on with their work with all the interruptions.

Object000, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Object000, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

ObjectØØØ is an artist I have been watching develop over the last year, as he has taken more to the street art scene. His works are so very distinct…unlike anything else I have seen on the streets. More of his works here and here.

Object000, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Object000, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This is another great piece by him and carries all the hallmarks of his work: a contorted body, a bird wing, tentacles and a phrase he uses a lot ‘eat the rich’. I find his work unusual and also rather inspiring. His work oozes with angst and rage but to me also seems to be striving for a freedom just out of reach.

I do hope I’m not turning into too much of a street art critic/bore.

347. Upfest 2016 (6)

RIP seemed to have a lot of fun during Upfest this year. His works were not only confined to The Rising Sun (his designated temporary ‘canvass’) but also to the streets and hoardings of North Street.

RIP, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
RIP, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

The dodo was very low down on a hoarding passageway. Who can resist a dodo eh? There is a lovely Stewy dodo in Leonard Lane…one of my earliest posts. The pun here links to the rather annoying, but very popular Wham! song of the ’80s.

RIP, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
RIP, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

The philosophical chimp is another winner for me. I really like RIP’s work. It is fast, edgy, raw, humerous and keeps the streets alive for those of us who like to look, see and discover.

RIP, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
RIP, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

346. Upfest 2016 (5)

At this year’s Upfest I have been struck by how many female street artists there are, which is really great, because I think there is a perception that most street artists tend to be male. Well, there was a great mix of gender, nationality and style, and perhaps Danielle Clough, who comes from South Africa and works with thick bright embroidery thread most embodies this extraordinary diversity.

Danielle Clough, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Danielle Clough, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Danielle was working hard in the hot sun on Saturday creating this magnificent piece, and continued her work through Sunday in the slightly cooler and at times wetter weather. The outcome is absolutely beautiful, and I hope it will be there for some time to come.

Danielle Clough, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Danielle Clough, Raleigh Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I believe this work by Danielle is the first time I have posted work by a known ‘yarn bomber’, but it certainly will not be the last. Refreshing and beautiful.

345. Upfest 2016 (4)

I was really taken by this fantastic work by Belgian artist Din Din who describes herself as a ‘one woman artistic movement’.

Din Din, Lime Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Din Din, Lime Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

On Saturday afternoon, when I watched her working, she was putting down the stencil at the bottom of the piece. I noticed that she used plastic stencils and asked her if she used them because they were stronger (seemed sensible to me), but she answered that with the plastic stencils you can work in the rain…so she came well prepared for a festival in Britain then!

Din Din, Lime Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Din Din, Lime Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

On her website it looks very much like she did two other stencils in the area during her visit to Bristol, so I will have to hunt these down.

Din Din, Lime Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Din Din, Lime Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

There is something about the piece that reminds me a little of Tian’s works that he pasted up around Stokes Croft during his ‘tour’ earlier in the year – photographic works with monochrome tones.

Din Din, Lime Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Din Din, Lime Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

A wonderful piece to see and to get a glimpse of the artist at work.