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.

Face The Strange, Jerome Street, Shoreditch, September 2016
Face The Strange, Jerome Street, Shoreditch, September 2016

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.

Face The Strange, Jerome Street, Shoreditch, September 2016
Face The Strange, Jerome Street, Shoreditch, September 2016

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.

Unify, Jerome Street, Shoreditch, September 2016
Unify, Jerome Street, Shoreditch, September 2016
I haven’t seen any more of his work in Bristol, but the more I wander around Shoreditch and Camden Town, the more pieces I am finding. I like his work a lot, and will post more when I am able to.

Unify, Jerome Street, Shoreditch, September 2016
Unify, Jerome Street, Shoreditch, September 2016

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.

Dan Kitchener, Kentish Town Road, Camden, September 2016
Dan Kitchener, Kentish Town Road, Camden, September 2016
Whenever I see Dan Kitchener’s works I am reminded of the book by Judith Kerr, ‘the tiger who came to tea‘. I can’t really explain why, but there is a street picture in the book which I think of every time I see Dan’s work.

Dan Kitchener, Kentish Town Road, Camden, September 2016
Dan Kitchener, Kentish Town Road, Camden, September 2016
I can’t really get enough of his extraordinary murals, which is a good thing really, because they are everywhere…more to come soon. 

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.

Osch, Hawley Street, Camden, September 2016
Osch, Hawley Street, Camden, September 2016

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.

Osch, Hawley Street, Camden, September 2016
Osch, Hawley Street, Camden, September 2016

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

  1. 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.
Fanakapan, Hawley Mews, Camden, September 2016
Fanakapan, Hawley Mews, Camden, September 2016

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.

Fanakapan, Hawley Mews, Camden, September 2016
Fanakapan, Hawley Mews, Camden, September 2016

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).

Fanakapan, Hawley Mews, Camden, September 2016
Fanakapan, Hawley Mews, Camden, September 2016

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.

Fanakapan, Hawley Mews, Camden, September 2016
Fanakapan, Hawley Mews, Camden, September 2016

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

449. Whitby Street, Shoreditch, London (2)

Sometimes, when a piece is so good, it is probably better not to say too much about it. This magnificent work is by AKA Jimmy C and immediately adjacent to another of his fine pieces that I posted about on August 18 this year.

AKA Jimmy C, Whitby Street, London, August 2016
AKA Jimmy C, Whitby Street, London, August 2016

I particularly like the photograph that shows all the air conditioning pipes on the wall. Placement is a major skill with street art and this is perfectly placed. Massive respect to AKA Jimmy C. This is so good.

AKA Jimmy C, Whitby Street, London, August 2016
AKA Jimmy C, Whitby Street, London, August 2016