Tag: Plastic

4144. M32 roundabout J3 (370)

This piece makes me laugh a little, because it involved another encounter with two great graffiti writers, Turoe and Hemper, or as I like to think of them, Mr Grumpy and Mr Happy. I got the cold-shoulder treatment from Turoe, which I am getting used to, but Hemper was happy to engage in a little conversation as they worked on this fabulous collaborative piece.

Turoe and Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Turoe and Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021

The colour scheme was shared by both artists, but each worked at their own pieces with their own styles, spelling out TUROE and HEMP respectively. The WIP shot was taken on a bright winter’s day with long shadows cast across the wall. When I went back to photograph the finished collaboration, I did so in overcast conditions, which got rid of those pesky shadows.

Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021

To the left is Turoe’s piece, which sets the theme of plastic litter in an aquatic setting. Look carefully and around the letters are loads of plastic items and PPE equipment, a sad observation of the polluted world we live in, but also a motivator to take action.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021

Hemper continues the theme of litter, and the pieces are all the more powerful for sticking to a single colour. The litter becomes more ethereal as it swirls around the block letters spelling HEMS. This is a fabulous collaboration from these two top writers.

2549. North Street

This is a lovely new shutter piece by The Hass on North Street. Unfortunately there is a bit missing on the left hand side which rolls down over the door, but shutters are difficult to get at the best of times so I was pleased to get this shot. The Hass paints under another name in Bristol, but those that know, know and those that don’t, don’t need to.

The Hass, North Street, Bristol, October 2019
The Hass, North Street, Bristol, October 2019

As a marine biologist I need little encouragement to marvel at this wonderful marlin swimming in waters close to a paradise island, looking a little bit like the island set in the Disney Pixar film The Incredibles. This time though the gorgeous waters are polluted with plastic bottles in amongst the fish. Nice piece combining abstract elements with realism and a great story.

2463. Millennium Square

In Millennium Square, a cultural centre of Bristol, a new piece by Jody has been commissioned and the piece is riding high on the crest of the wave of enhanced public awareness of environmental issues.

Jody, Millennium Square, Bristol, September 2019
Jody, Millennium Square, Bristol, September 2019

I’m not too sure where the commission has come from, but the subject matters owes an awful lot to the iconic film Jaws (one of course). Instead of an unwitting swimmer, the sea is full of floating plastic and the ‘prey’ a plastic bottle of water. The sad truth behind this sensational and clever piece with a strong message is that it does tell a story of our heavily polluted seas. It is a homage (probably the wrong choice of word) to the Anthropocene epoch. Such a piece of public art could not have even existed a hundred and fifty years ago. What have we done? Nice piece by Jody.

2429. Upfest 2018 (151)

I felt it was probably time to pick up on a few more Upfest 2018 pieces starting with this beautiful Whale and Gannet work with a very strong environmental message from Adelle Gough. The text says “You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the entire ocean in a drop”.

Adelle Gough, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Adelle Gough, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I like the style Adelle has used for this piece very much, and it has quite an illustrative feel to it, like it could be the cover of a children’s book on plastic waste or something like that. There is a narrative in the piece that is clear to see, with tin can plastic binding caught around the gannet’s neck.

Adelle Gough, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Adelle Gough, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

Adelle likes to call Stroud her home, but appers to do quite a lot of travelling around the country. She has a fine website Green Bow Tie Works that houses a gallery of her works and there is an interesting profile/biography of the artist which outlines her love for nature and the natural world. Whale pieces always go down well with me.

1926. Millpond Street (5)

When Kid Crayon and SPZero76 get together as ‘EAT’ crew, there is almost always a creative explosion that follows. This brilliant piece, which is a kind of quasi commission, they get paid in paint, is on a wall favoured by these two.

Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018
Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018

The theme for the piece highlights plastic in our seas, something that thankfully is front of mind for so many of us at the moment. In Kid Crayon’s side of the piece, the king and queen of the sea look less than impressed with the amount of plastic in their domain, and the fish look pretty troubled too.

Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018
Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018

Although the styles of these two artists are strikingly different, they seem to work well together. SPZero76 gives us a couple of characters, a robot and swimmer in highly protective gear venturing out into the polluted sea for a surf. What is really clever about this piece is that they have incorporated bits of their previous work on this wall, such as the yellow VW Beetle, by leaving them partially exposed, thus becoming part of the pollution in this piece. Really clever work.

Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018
Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, December 2018

I always love a piece with a big story.

Update – I have since found out that the ‘special effect’ was not intentional but rather rain damage. The piece has been replaced already by the EAT crew.

 

 

Biodiversity loss

 

With great urgency

actions, not words, are needed

before it’s too late.

 

by Scooj

 

written on returning from a two day conference on environmental communications. We really do have so very little time remaining to prevent both a biodiversity and climate catastrophe. Time to write to your MPs or political representatives and ask them what they are doing about these two growing issues which will have impacts far greater than any banking crisis we have ever seen.

1076. The Bearpit (97)

One of the classiest pieces in The Bearpit for a little while appeared just over a week ago and took up the entire length of ont of the north side entrance ramp. This stunning piece is a collaboration between Sled One and Epok. As is often the case with work like this, the photographs really don’t do it justice and I would urge Bristolians to get down to The Bearpit to see it for themselves.

Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

There is a strong message here about the damage being done to our oceans by plastics – don’t get me going on this subject, because it vexes me because the torrent of pastic, large and microscopic, will kill off life in our oceans unless urgent action is taken. We sure know how to goof up our planet.

Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

The artwork in this piece is exquisite and incredibly detailed, just take a look at the pectoral fins of the fish above, to see how much work has gone into the colourse ripples and folds of the fins.

Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

Them whole thing is cleverly constructed, combining some abstract elements with life studies, but the whole effect is one of movement and swirling currents.

Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

It would be great to hear from the artists themselves what inspired them to do this piece. It is possible that it was a commission, but by whom I wonder. Next time I see Sled One, I’ll have to ask him.

Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017
Sled One and Epok, The Bearpit, Bristol, October 2017

All in all a great piece and beautiful gift to the people of Bristol. Now, reduce that plastic waste!