A sea of hair sways
in unison with the train
as it rocks and jolts.
by Scooj
Tag: London
479. Jerome Street, Shoreditch (2)
Wheatpastes somehow lend themselves not only to bold political statements, but also to quirkiness and humour. I first encountered ‘Face The Strange’ at Upfest 2016 with his rather imaginative flying human ducks.
The basic technique adopted by Face The Stange, is to take every day objects and superimpose them onto the face of people, creating a rather unsettling and surreal effect. It is more than that though…as I have said many times one of the arts of wheatpasting is location and arrangement. In this aspect Face The Strange excels.
The other thing about paste ups is that they are rarely commissions, and therefore kind of illegal, which gives them an extra edge. This is my kind of stuff.
478. Jerome Street, Shoreditch (1)
Back to Shoreditch where I found this great stencil by Unify. It is called Go Fly Your Kite and features a teddy bear that has been used in other works by the artist. I first came across Unify in Bristol with this No Blowing Bubbles piece on the wall of the Highbury Vaults. It is still there.
475. Kentish Town Road (1), Camden
I really did enjoy my recent tour of Camden Town, and one of the first pieces I saw was this lovely Dan Kitchener work in a tiny car park area off the Kentish Town Road. The three walls were festooned with street art, but this piece had pride of place along the entire length of one wall.
Standing room only
.
Standing room only
too polite to turf sleeping
girl out of my seat.
.
by Scooj
This is no way to spend a Sunday night
.
On the train again
destination Vauxhall and
some boxy hotel.
.
by Scooj
473. Hawley Street (1), Camden
Continuing for a little while with my Camden adventure, just around the corner, from the Fanakapan flies was this amazing rhinoceros by Osch. Both Osch and Fanakapan are unbelievably prolific. Hardly a week goes by without one or both of them creating something new.
In this piece, Osch uses his unfurling ribbon style to create the illusion of a solid creature, which is clever as painting itself could be considered to be an illusion. Layers. The rhino is superb, and reminds us (it’s function) about the plight of these creatures in the wild.
Rounding off the picture, and something that is a part of photographing street art, is the context of the piece, and in this particular piece there are some discarded flower pots that somehow add to the whole scene. A street art photographer’s dilemma is always to balance the perfect clean image, with the actual image in its context. I, like others, try to get both…but parked cars are a real menace!
472. Hawley Mews (1), Camden
- These pictures were taken when I had a couple of hours to kill in London after work recently, and I am really pleased with the ground I managed to cover in Camden. Although my sister went to school nearby, and I often drove through the area in my younger days, I haven’t been back for years.
I knew that the area is a favourite for street artists and graffiti artists, but I had no idea about the layout of the streets or what could be found where, so I just started to wander – my favourite thing.
I eventually happened upon this incredible mews, running parallel with one of the busier streets, but hidden away (note – always seek out alley ways and back streets). The reward for my explorations was this magnificent Fanakapan mural of flies (of course the helium balloon type).
This work is exceptional, not only the flies, but the perspective on the walls and shadows cast. A masterpiece and a privilege to find it and photograph it. There were loads of other pieces in this mews and I will in time post about them too.
St John’s Gardens
.
Dappled sunlight gives
Little warmth and trees little
Shelter from cold winds.
.
by Scooj
Football train
.
General hubbub
snippets of conversation
and clickity clacks.
.
by Scooj
