Month: July 2017

30. Overslept

Just a quick recap – This blog ‘Natural Adventures’ was set up so that I could digitise a journal I wrote while working in the Falkland Islands in 1988. The Haiku and street art took over completely, but every now and then I like to get back to my roots. For any readers who have not seen any of this Falkland stuff before, it is worth getting some context from my first post ‘An Ill Wind’.

 

Wednesday 22 June 1988. Koei Maru 30

I think I have a slight stomach bug – I am not sure of the cause – it causes only a little pain, but it’s there. Today will be a long day again, 450 lines deployed. Wrote letter No 49 to Deb. That isn’t bad, 49 letters and cards in 106 days since I’ve been here. Admittedly, they aren’t as long as they were, but they still keep coming (going).

The Desire (one of the patrol vessels) came – yahoo – and delivered loads of letters and papers – I am glowing. It has been a very good day.

A school of dolphins passed by and I took some snaps, some new fish came up, I got some lovely corals and a hairy winkle (pardon?!).

The fish, the best one, unfortunately ended up as sashimi.

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I now smell really fishy!

All my doubts and fears about Deb have cleared away – I’m a happy bunny – Mum and Karen and granny’s letters are all ace. I still want to get home though.

 

Thursday 23 June 1988. Koei Maru 30

My stomach bug continues, but it is mild. My shit is like liquid ‘caramac’, but not quite so tasty I’m sure.

It has bee an idyllic day – calm and sunny – loads of photos (none very good)

The catch has been good – I would guess at about 2.5 to 3 tonnes of Kingu (Kingclip). I hate this work and I want to go home – all my letters (which I received yesterday) are now haunting me. I don’t think I’m content here – I could not live this way for the rest of my life.

My last duty of the day (changing my camera film and sticking the slide reference number in my journal) before showering and turning in. These days are so long, I don’t have much time for reading or letters – a shame really, but it is good that I am occupied.

Saw some ace penguins hop out of the sea Vertically onto a patch of floating kelp. It was very funny. I thought I was in for a superb sunset, but I was wrong.

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Friday 24 June 1988. Koei Maru 30

My bug seems to be over, which is a relief. So many birds today.

What I’m thinking right now is why do I get spots?

Now I know ‘Queen Mab’ properly. Now to set about the whole part of Mercutio. Will I ever achieve it?

Amongst my letters was one from Granny G. She had sent me a tape, but I never received it, which is a terrible shame – it would have had all the family news in it. I still don’t know if Simon and Sue are married yet. Nobody has mentioned it to me. (Reading this paragraph now in 2017 rather breaks my heart. I would love to hear my grandmother’s voice on a tape trapped in that year of 1988.)

29 days and I’ll be home! yahoo. Until then I wait.

Articles about the Falkland Islands
Articles about the Falkland Islands

My cabin is a tip – I love it like this – my papers and magazines all over the floor, a full bin, folders strewn everywhere. A mixture of work and leisure.

 

Saturday 25 June 1988. Koei Maru 30

I may as well use up this space (alongside an article I stuck in my journal) it seems such a waste otherwise. A beautiful sun rise but not a beautiful day. It is choppy, the waves are cutting across our path and the ship is rolling like billyo.

Times article about the Falkland Islands, 25 May 1988
Times article about the Falkland Islands, 25 May 1988

So many people have said how vivid my letters are – I can;’t believe them. Frankly I think they are dull, uninteresting and badly written, but there we are.

Yuk! I’ve just disposed of a tin of custard down my gob – in times of hardship one loses all self-pride – It’s so true.

I forgot to mention that I am now an expert in chopstick (hachi) management. Pretty bloody cool.

905. Bedminster

I am troubled by the fact that I have only really been aware of Lokey in the last three or four months, and yet I am now finding his pieces everywhere I look. Even though I am out and about photographing graffiti regularly, I still seem to be capable of missing so much.

Lokey, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017
Lokey, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017

Anyhow, his 3d writing is magnificent and I just don’t think I’ll tire of it. In this piece he has worked the writing over a colourful background of complementary colours. His white shading on the letters brings out the 3D effect, bringing out a kind of reflection. Clever work.

Lokey, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017
Lokey, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017

 

904. Stokes Croft, Full Moon (1)

How often do you get to watch two of Bristol’s best graffiti artists in action? well in my case not too often, but I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to see Soker and Cheo at work.

Soker and Cheo, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Soker and Cheo, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

I had actually been in the area to see the magnificent exhibition of work from Tom Miller at the It’s all 2 Much gallery on the other side of the road, however the whole area was buzzing with street artists spraying every available wall in the immediate vicinity.

Cheo, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Cheo, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

They were in town for an event organised at the Full Moon pub by Inkie, called Boogie down Bristol. This was an event held within the courtyard of the pub and featured a blend of local and not so local artists.

Cheo, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Cheo, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

I chatted for a while with Cheo, who I had not met before, who is very much contained in a world of his own work and was focussed on this piece. A classic Cheo character…I love the rather unpleasant plaster on his chin – great attention to detail.

Soker, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Soker, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017

Soker was busy chatting with chums, but both obviously really friendly, and they do so much great work together. This was only one of several collaborations that were happening on the streets, let alone the curated pieces that were being sprayed in the pub. Fortune favours the brave.

 

903. Jamaica Street (8)

There was a recent event held in Bristol, organised by Inkie, entitled ‘Boogie down Bristol’ held at the Full Moon pub. In the days either side of the event, a whole ton of graffiti art and street art went up in the Stokes Croft area.

Voyder, Jamaica Street, Bristol, July 2017
Voyder, Jamaica Street, Bristol, July 2017

The PRSC outdoor gallery was one of the walls sprayed. The middle section here is another high-quality piece from one of the best writers around Voyder.

Voyder, Jamaica Street, Bristol, July 2017
Voyder, Jamaica Street, Bristol, July 2017

Every piece he produces, and there have been quite a few recently, is a winner. Clean lines, great colour selections and an incredible eye for shading and shadows. Brilliant as always.

Good reputation

 

Difficult to build,

to maintain requires effort,

so easy to lose.

 

by Scooj

902. North Street Green (8)

So here it is, time to get excited about Upfest 2017 with this year’s festival artist Pahnl. There are two of these pieces, one at the North Street Green, and the other at the North Street Standard. Both I expect will be over written at the festival, the latter I believe by Inkie.

Pahnl, North Street Green, Bristol, July 2017
Pahnl, North Street Green, Bristol, July 2017

I don’t really know anything about Pahnl, so it is lucky that the nice people at Upfest have produced a free festival map and a short biography of Pahnl which reads:

‘Living at a lower level of existence, Pahnl’s miniature people, dogs, cats and birds can often be found outside in the street. Taking influence from comics and street signage, whilst adding their own subversive and funny twist, Birmingham-based duo Panhl use stencils, stickers, posters, animation, screen printing, film and photography to bring their own small world to life.’

Pahnl, North Street Standard, Bristol, July 2017
Pahnl, North Street Standard, Bristol, July 2017

So now you know as much as me. Certainly their work has a very strong brand feel to it, and perhaps that is a good thing for the Festival, but it is quite unlike most of the street art you find in Bristol, and maybe not representative. Having said that this is strong and characterful and demonstrates the broad church of street/graffiti art that Upfest espouses. Only a few days now.

Pahnl, North Street Standard, Bristol, July 2017
Pahnl, North Street Standard, Bristol, July 2017

901. Lower Approach Road (6)

Well this really is a magnificent and busy piece by SPZero76. The piece incorporates a train and track, which is entirely fitting to the I. K. Brunel inspired Temple Meads station, adjacent to this hoarding.

SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017
SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017

Somehow, by using limited colours on a black background, SPZero76 has created the effect of an etching, or at least that is how it looks to me. He uses the blue and purple combination a lot in his work – maybe he got a job lot of these colours.

SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017
SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017

So what else have we got going on? He has a dog puking up, I’m not certain why, and just to emphasise the point he writes ‘PUKE’ so that we are sure. There is a biker and the word ‘zoom’. Also SPZero has managed to incorporate the crew Lost Souls on neon lights on the buildings.

SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017
SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017

On the right hand end of the piece there is a lady taking a bath in the last carriage of the train which she appears to be sharing with an octopus and rubber duck. I really have no idea what is going on, but it is a great tribute to the crazy workings of SPZero76’s mind.

SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017
SPZero76, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, June 2017

If you are at Temple Meads station and have a few moments to kill, it is well worth dropping down to the hoardings just to the left of the car park (as you leave the station). There are six wonderful pieces from six of Bristol’s great artists.

Blue

 

Still for a moment,

frenetic journey frozen;

an angel in blue.

 

by Scooj

900. The Bearpit (79)

This is described by Smak as a ‘quick after school dub down the bearpit’, which was sprayed round about mid June 2017. I believe the piece is still there. Smak belongs to the Read and Weep (RAW) crew which includes Rusk, Ryder and T Rex amongst others. This is the first of his pieces that I have posted  and other than this Bombing Science blog post, I don’t know much about him.

Smak, The Bearpit, Bristol, June 2017
Smak, The Bearpit, Bristol, June 2017

Of course with all things like this, having seen one of his works, I have started seeing them around the place and in my archives. Expect more from Smak on this blog. He is clearly an accomplished writer and has a nice style with his letters. I particularly like the way he has filled the letters here, with an almost cosmic feel. Great stuff.

899. Unity Street (6)

It has been a while since I posted anything by Thelochnessmonster, who in previous posts I had referred to as OHMS, because these were the letters he used in his pieces. Another feature of his pieces is mention of the ‘splab gang’ or ‘splab lads’. I don’t know if this is a crew who spray with him or whether he is simply referring to them.

Thelochnessmonster, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2017
Thelochnessmonster, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2017

Thelochnessmonster’s pieces are often very busy and unlike many of the Bristol (graphic) artists he specialises in wobbly lines and a distinct lack of clean finish.

Thelochnessmonster, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2017
Thelochnessmonster, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2017

In this piece, which looks to be a commentary on weapons and war, there are references to automatic rifles, to yin and yang, to peace and to love. definitely an interesting piece and also interesting selection of colours. Always unusual.