.
Only one biscuit
something to look forward to
highlight of my day
.
by Scooj
5651. Brunel Way (247)
For many years, and more acutely this year, there has been a massive focus on the issue of compensation overflows in the UK. These overflows are essentially permitted activities of pumping raw sewage from water treatment plants, when heavy rainfall makes the processing of large quantities of sewage almost impossible. Some (and I include myself in this) point the finger at underinvestment in the infrastructure of water treatment plants, rather favouring healthy annual handouts to investors and shareholders.
The problem existed before the privatisation of water companies, but has been exacerbated by privatisation and a growing population and demand on the existing infrastructure, that simply isn’t up to scratch. Much easier to lean on a polluting permitted activity than to spend money fixing the problem.
Privatisation of water has, in my view, been a disaster, making a few investors, chief executives and foreign companies very wealthy indeed, but leaving the necessary investment and impact on the environment way behind. The public have had enough and are demanding that something is done about the situation. National commentary and pieces of art, like this one from John D’oh reflect this public mood.
In its minimalist way, this stencil by John D’oh distils the issue and makes it simple. ‘Shit doesn’t just happen (we have known about this problem for decades and done nothing about it), clean our rivers’. I have worked in the water/environmental sector my entire life, and John D’oh has nailed it. Clever placement too with the River Avon in the background. This is an understated and poignant protest piece. Bravo John D’oh.
5650. Hepburn Road (22)
In writing about this piece, I am beginning to have doubts that I have identified the artists correctly. Everything about the piece points towards Dott Rotten – the letter shapes, the fill patterns and the quality finish, but I might be wrong. The nagging doubt comes from the fact that Dott Rotten usually writes out SPOILT, but this says SORTS.
Chrome and black work well and the yellow border helps to lift the writing from the busy background, and happens to also match the double yellow lines in the road. If it is not by Dott Rotten, then I am struggling to work out who it is by – always go with your first impression!?
Update: Thank you, Paul – The piece is by Sorts and not Dott Rotten, but it is certainly a compliment to Sorts that I thought it might have been otherwise.
5649. M32 Roundabout J3 (525)
I usually associate Dun Sum with the spot in Lawrence Weston (L Dub), because that is where I have seen most of his work, but lately he has painted a couple of times in Bristol proper, this being a Halloween piece painted alongside Hypo, Zeks and DJ Perks. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, Hypo had already overpainted his own piece. I was lucky enough to bump into Dun Sum, Hypo and Zeks a couple of weeks later on the other side of the roundabout, and it was the first time I had met any of them. What lovely people.
Dun Sum is a wonderful artist in my view. He creates some incredibly original pieces usually with animals and usually full of imagination. In this Halloween piece, a bug of sorts seems to be powering up a pumpkin, but I guess the story is open to interpretation. The artwork is brilliant, and it is interesting to note that the way Dun Sum applies his paint looks much more like brushwork than spray paint due to the way he blends his colours throughout his work. I absolutely love this piece.
Memories
.
Filled with a warm glow
recalling untroubled times
when we were children
.
by Scooj
5648. Horfield skate park (13)
I don’t tend to visit Horfield skate park all that often, even though it is one of the closer spots to where I live, mainly because the turnover there is disappointingly slow. On the upside, when I do make the trip, there are usually two or three new pieces to enjoy. This one is a rather nice little collaboration from Logoe and Haka.
The duck character on the left is by Haka, and for once I am stumped – I don’t know if the duck is from Haka’s imagination or is from a children’s picture book, either way he is rather fun. Logoe completes the collaboration with his straight-line script writing, great fills and oval spots. The background colour helps to lift the whole thing and adds vibrancy and joy to a rather dull concrete corner of the Horfield Leisure Centre.
5647. Nottingham
On walking to the station to return to Bristol from a meeting in Nottingham, I had a few spare minutes to explore the area near the station, and I am pleased that I did, although I stressed about cutting it a bit fine with my train departure time. The light was also diminishing… I am not a big fan of these short day length. I found a few pieces, including this beautiful robin by Steve (STE).
I know nothing of the artist, but on seeing this stunner, will certainly be looking out for him in future. I tend to get so wrapped up in the Bristol street/graffiti art scene, that I forget there is a massive amount of talent beyond the West Country. The beautifully captured robin, in full song, is an absolute triumph, it is rare to see a bird looking so natural in street art work. The words Sierra, Tango, Echo form a backdrop to the bird, and make up Steve’s Instagram handle, I am not sure what they mean, but could they be followed with Victor, Echo? A stunner for sure.
Phour
A gallery of fabulous graffiti writing from Bristol’s Phour.
All photographs by Scooj
Attitude
.
Must do what we can
nature and climate crises
can do what we must
.
by Scooj
5646. Nottingham
A short while ago, I had a team meeting in Nottingham and decided that It would be wise to travel up the evening before, because it is a bit of a schlep from Bristol and I would have been late for the start of the meeting if I travelled up on the day. I have only been to Nottingham twice before, and remember little of both trips. On the day of the meeting, I got up early and took an aimless walk to see if I could find any street/graffiti art and some doors for Thursday doors. It was a very productive walk on both counts.
I found this outstanding shutter piece by Kid30 near Sneinton Market (I think) and although I haven’t seen much of his work, I am familiar with him thanks to a couple of visits he made to Upfest in Bristol. Kid30 specialises in deconstructing cartoon characters, and then stitching them back together again in a random assembly. In this fabulous piece I can find Top Cat, Krusty the clown, Bender from Futurama, Pluto and the Pink Panther. Not a bad collection in one piece really. Look out for more from this lightening visit to Nottingham.
Natural adventures 