Tag: #DFTE

4617. Cumberland Basin

Dave Sharp and #DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022
Dave Sharp and #DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022

Sometimes street art is edgy, sometimes political, and sometimes just great fun, and this collaboration by Dave Sharp and #DFTE falls into that latter category. The two pieces on a black buffed wall leap out at you, and it is a sour old soul that couldn’t find something to like about it.

Dave Sharp and #DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022
Dave Sharp and #DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022

To the left is a fabulous SpongeBob SquarePants piece, by an artist I don’t think I have come across before, Dave Sharp, and what a great job he has done, bringing the children’s cartoon character to life. To the right is a typical philosophical phrase from #DFTE, albeit in a much larger format than his smaller framed pieces. “Happiness is being confidently weird” – I think I can live with that. Nice drips, by the way.

2914. Stokes Croft

Another archive piece, this time from #DFTE, on the famous wall on the corner of Stokes Croft and City Road. This is one of #DFTE’s framed pieces, and if I am honest, I’m not entirely certain that it is still there.

#DFTE, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2019
#DFTE, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2019

The words ‘We are all in this together‘ have a certain poignancy about them today as we sit in the midst of a global pandemic. I like the sentiment, but I dislike the way our government have rolled out this slogan (as if it was their invention) to try and inject some patriotism and collective responsibility for the fallout of coronavirus. I feel a monumental rant cominng on, so I will end the post now before I bore the living daylights out of you. In cheerier times I would appreciate the words more. I am a big fan of the artist and his alternative style.

2829. Christmas Steps (2)

Never was a message from #DFTE more apt and more welcome. As we find ourselves thrown into lockdown in the UK due to the Coronavirus pandemic, acts of kindness must be at the front of our minds at all times. For my part, having patience with my family is probably the single biggest challenge, but I must chill out and see the good. My wife and kids are amazing people and we have a chance to reset the dial in these unusual circumstances.

#DFTE, Christmas Steps, Bristol, March 2020
#DFTE, Christmas Steps, Bristol, March 2020

This is the second piece of street philosophy from #DFTE on Christmas Steps, right at the top (of the lower section). I rather like the fact that another kind soul has slapped a sticker on this framed installation saying ‘you are beautiful’. Bristol street art bringing out the best in us.

2785. Christmas Steps

I don’t ascend or descend the Christmas Steps all that often these days and perhaps if I did I might have seen this great wheatpaste by #DFTE sooner. The switch from framed installations to pasteups has worked well for the artist and perhaps offers a little bit more scope for locations and a second string to their bow.

#DFTE, Christmas Steps, Bristol, February 2020
#DFTE, Christmas Steps, Bristol, February 2020

The words of wisdom on this one read:

Be yourself, people do not have to like you and you do not have to care #DFTE

Fine words indeed from the self-styled urban philosopher.

2750. Leonard Lane (24)

Do you know what? I think this piece is in Leonard Lane, or at least I think I thought it was, but now I am not so sure. No matter, it is somewhere in Bristol. It is of course by the very original #DFTE whose philosophical musings are scattered around the city.

#DFTE, Leonard Lane, Bristol, Jnuary 2020
#DFTE, Leonard Lane, Bristol, Jnuary 2020

In this wheatpaste, #DFTE seems to have abandones his framed picture approach in favour of a slightly less labour intensive regular paste up. So here he says:

Never underestimate the healing power of listening to your favourite music on full blast while jumping around the house like an idiot.

This is a sentiment I can absolutely identify with as my rather ashamed kids might testify. Nice paste up and nice words frrom #DFTE.

2626. Town somewhere

I cannot for the life of me remember where this lovely framed philosophical offering from #DFTE actually is. I know it is in town, and probably on a wall that doesn’t have too many other street/graffiti art pieces, as #DFTE tends to stay away from the regular spots. I took the picture way back in March, and my brain is so useless that I struggle to remember what happened yesterday, let alone back in March.

#DFTE, Town, Bristol, March 2019
#DFTE, Town, Bristol, March 2019

The guidance presented here says ‘Love in such a way that the person you love feels free’. I’m not too sure I am on the same page as this one, because it might be making the assumption that love could be a form of imprisonment and I am not sure that that is what love is. Smothering love maybe, and perhaps that is what this is about.

I am annoyed that I can’t remember where this is, because one of the great skills of installation artists like #DFTE is that placement is a key element of the work.

2603. Cumberland Road (1)

Last week I found one of the older pieces by our resident philosopher in Bristol, #DFTE. This particular piece of motivational wordsmithing is a little more prescriptive than some of other ponderings, it says:

Life Doesn’t get better by chance, it gets better by change

I suspect winners of the national lottery might disagree. I like the fact that by simply changing one letter (a C for a G) the whole phrase is repositioned – clever wordplay.

#DFTE, Cumberland Road, Bristol, November 2019
#DFTE, Cumberland Road, Bristol, November 2019

Somehow #DFTE finds some great spots to position his work – it is half the skill in what he does and this one is magnificent. I have probably driven and walked past it several times and never noticed it – you have to look up, which is the cas with many of his framed phrases. #DFTE is a street art hunter’s dream, because he will place his works away from the usual spots, so finding things feels like an extra big treat. Looking forward to finding another one.

 

 

 

 

 

2580. Welshback

Somewhere along Welshback, I don’t recall exactly where is another inspirational quote from #DFTE framed and attached high onto the wall of a building. The uplifiting sentence reads:

Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people – #DFTE

A sentiment it is difficult to argue against.

#DFTE, Welshback, Bristol, September 2019
#DFTE, Welshback, Bristol, September 2019

I like to think that #DFTE is our social conscience and guide and nudges us to become a slightly more caring and compassionate society than we are. I can’t imaging something like this hanging on the wall in the Tory party HQ, rather it would be ‘Make Britain great again…’ blah blah blah. Keep it up #DFTE – more goodness in the world is needed.

2297. North Street

These philosophical musings are a positive force on the streets of Bristol, and #DFTE has introduced an original way of presenting them. The picture frames give a sense of value and permanence to his words which without them would certainly be dismissed as graffiti/tagging.

#DFTE, North Street, Bristol, June 2019
#DFTE, North Street, Bristol, June 2019

‘Be good to yourself for no reason’ seems like sound advice to me and surely contributes to the positive mindfulness revolution supporting mental health. Perhaps #DFTE should be sponsored by the NHS to do this work nationally! I like the simple full caps font and slightly random orientation of his letters. From a communications perspective (it is my job after all)  we would normally advise against any written communication using full caps as it is significantly more difficult to read, and often comes across as shouting, but the font he uses is soft and works well.

2163. St Werburghs tunnel (73)

Another first, but certainly not the last from an artist who does something a little different from the usual fare we see on the streets. This framed slogan or saying is by  #DFTE, who is a Bristol-based artist who places these little gems to carefully thought out places in the City.

#DFTE, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2019
#DFTE, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2019

If you look up at the north end of the St Werburghs tunnel, you will see this installation clinging to the bricks on the arched roof. It says ‘This is for you’, which is very nice… I guess it is a message to those who look around them and live in the now. It must have been quite a challenge getting it up there and sticking it to the ceiling, but it was utterly worth it and certainly brightened my day when I first saw it. More to come.