This piece from Decay was painted around the time of the introduction of lock down and was a great message for people to take the lock down restrictions seriously. Street artists have definitely played their party in broadcasting good messages during this pandemic. More recently some works are a little more critical of the government’s handling of the situation, but no surprises there.
Decay, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2020
Decay is such a consistent artist always putting out clean and tidy writing beautifully executed. There is one thing that perplexes me about this piece, and it is the eyes with wings bookending the writing. Are these the work of Decay or another artist? I think it is Decay, but it isn’t quite in his style. Answers on a postcard…
* I believe that with tomorrow’s forecast for sun, that this spring (March, April and May) will have broken all records for sunlight-hours. Thank heavens. How much more difficult the last period might have been with cold, wet weather.
What I love about John D’os work is that it lays down a historical (usually political) narrative of our time. This is the second version of this stencil in the area, I posted the other one a while back, and it records with an element of humour the madness of the run on loo paper at the start of lock down. As an additional note, you can’t move in supermarkets for bog roll at the moment, so what was the panic all about?
John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020
I like the retro look of the piece and of course the setting in amongst an array of contemporary tagging. More to come from John D’oh who was a little busier than some other artists during full lock down, taking his allotted hour of exercise on the streets and walls we know so well.
I didn’t think that I could be upset by Boris Johnson any more. He represents nothing that I believe in, but by jingo he has done it again by his pathetic and snivelling defence of Dominic Cummings’ wrongdoings. Remember this lot will ‘win at any cost’. Well sometimes good governance is not about winning, but is about learning from mistakes and moving on, bringing the people with you for the greater good. I am so saddened by what is going on.
I am a little pressed for time this week, so here are a couple of doors I photographed over the last two days during my brief walks escaping from lock down.
I really struggle with social distancing, it feels so unnatural and uncomfortable. Crossing into the middle of the road to avoid oncoming pedestrians on the pavement feels embarrassing, almost insulting, but I guess we all have to do it. I am lucky that it is impacts like this that have most affected me so far, they are trivial compared to the impacts on others.
The point being that my walks are not linear but rather they are zig zaggy and the upshot is I do walk to places I might not have walked before and get to see interesting things.
The first door is up some steps, that look like they could do with a bit of repair work. Not a house for people with mobility problems. The wall on the left of the steps has a great warning to us all… zombies are coming.
Steps and daisies lead up to a yellow door, Gloucester Road, Bristol, May 2020
The second door isn’t really a door, it is more like a window, both physically and metaphorically. Lock down has certainly led to a surge in creativity, with gardening and baking topping the charts, but a local family (I am guessing) have made this brilliant model of a home in lock down. Take time to look at it and see what it tells you about the family. I think this is lovely and a great capture of life in the time of Coronavirus.
Behind a glass door, a scene from a lock down household, Bishopston, Bristol, May 2020
A wonderful interpretation of lock down life, Bishopston, Bristol, May 2020
That’s it for another week. Look after yourselves.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors and you ought to take a look at the Norm 2.0 blog – the originator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.
Although I have to say that I am enjoying the slower pace and quiet streets. Of course the full horror of the virus is too much to bear, but I am clinging to simple pleasures.
Natural adventures 