One happy daughter;
new sounds and interesting
smells pervade my home.
by Scooj
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 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.
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.
City food
Wonderful smells drift
in and out of the street stalls
selling World cuisine.
by Scooj
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’.
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!
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.
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.
A wonderful piece to see and to get a glimpse of the artist at work.
Son
He will not know the
sadness I feel as I hug
him and wave goodbye.
by Scooj
344. Upfest 2016 (3)
One of the first pieces I saw that had already been completed by the time I arived on Saturday, was this fine and controversial work by Pegasus.
It is highly accomplished stencil work that one expects from Pegasus and the content of his work is often edgy and possibly uncomfortable for some. I imagine that any work representing Mother Teresa (a Saint) is going to be tricky.
I love this piece. It is quite shocking and at the same time so beautifully put together. I think this might be his first visit since his Trump/Hitler conflation in Greville Road, back in April 2016…another controversial one.
343. Upfest 2016 (2)
I still haven’t worked out how I am going to present all of the works that I captured and admired during Upfest over the last few days, but I have to get cracking because there is so much wonderful stuff to share.
This post has four works produced by Bristol street artist Angus over the duration of the weekend. It was a pity that I didn’t get to meet Angus, it just seemed that we were in different places at different times. I’m sure we will catch up soon. The first image is his ‘showcase’ piece that was on his designated board and is quite stunning.
Another couple of pieces sit either side of a large wall by Inkie (coming soon) at the Southbank Club on Dean Lane. On the left is a great face in reds and blacks…
Angus, Dean Lane, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Angus, Dean Lane, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
…and on the right is a door that says it all really.
His fourth piece was in one of his favourite spots on Raleigh Road, where this recent work which I wrote about, resided.
I like this work a lot, with Muttley from Whacky Races, a message that he has been working with for a while, and some great colours and design. His work just gets better and better.
Camp
House is strewn with clothes
and kit that will never fit
into the backpack.
by Scooj
342. Upfest 2016 (1)
What a busy couple of days it has been – a lot of walking and looking at hundreds of new pieces in South Bristol. Many of the works created are temporary and will be removed after the festival, some have been allocated prime sites and will remain for at least a year, others have been surreptitiously slapped up in interesting places and will have variable lifespans.
I will start my posts of Upfest with some wonderful pasteups by Phoebe New York (aka artist Libby Schoettle). I was especially pleased to see her work here in Bristol as I have only recently become aware of her and how brilliantly refreshing she is. A simple idea really well executed.
I particularly like the edge of her work, both in the content and statements, but also in the locations she chooses. I am a fan, and I expect there are more than just these two examples from Upfest in Bristol. I will be hunting for more.
Upfest is a truly spectacular festival and I feel honoured as an adopted Bristolian that people have come from all over the world to participate over the last two days. There is still one more day to go, but it is a working day and I suspect things will be a lot quieter. I have no idea how I am going to post all the amazinf things I have seen this weekend – I’ll just have to see how it goes.
New Day
With cool morning air
and cup of fresh coffee, I
make plans for the day.
by Scooj
Natural adventures 