Slough's enchanted forest.

We were in Slough last night and so we stopped off near the station to take some pictures of the graffiti.

I have to apologise for the quality of the photos - we had to go at night because it's really hard to park nearby in the day time - but I think you can get an idea what it was like.

The developers of 'The Porter Building, Landid Property and Brockton capital, hired 'Global Street Art' to put some decoration on the hoardings. The brief was to create an 'Enchanted Forest' in Slough.

I think they did quite well, really;

The artists who did the work are; Astek, Zadok, Busk, Oliver, Switch, Hicks, Spore, SkyHigh and Trafik.

I'm biased, I really like the work of 'SkyHigh';

You can find them on the net as 'weareskyhigh'.

I liked this tag too;

I think I prefer the tags to the forest, but that's just me. It's pretty good;

There was a white rabbit which didn't do so well when I took a picture of it and this fairy;

I liked this a lot;

You can catch the pictures on the hoardings opposite Slough Railway Station and they'll be there as long as the building work takes or until someone else writes over it.

You know (and you'll hate me for saying this) I think I prefer it when street art is actually illegal - there's more edge, more risk.

But that's just me!

Of course, it's great when anyone actually supports this stuff.

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

The Feltham Circles.

Last Monday when we were in Feltham, I couldn't resist a trip to the 'Feltham Circles';

Behind Hanworth Crematorium, you can find the circles by taking one of the paths off Pevensey Road or Hounslow Road.

Years ago these were part of a sewage farm but when it was converted to a nature reserve the concrete outline was left behind and became a place where for thirty years graffiti was tolerated.

Now you can see things like this;

It's a magnet for some of the best graffiti artists in London, the only problem is that the art changes on a daily basis.

So, in the week since I took these pictures, many of these pictures have probably gone.

I was hoping to see a piece by 'Weareskyhigh', which I know went up in July - it's not there any more!

But you can see this;

And we saw this work when we were at Wokingham a fortnight ago;

This was cool;

So was this 'No Frills' piece;

Loved the figure;

It's an amazing place - a constantly moving canvas.

Sometimes it can be infuriating; like when some dumb kid sprays the stoopidest, easiest, pointless tag over something great.

But that's street art.

Sometimes it's a big picture;

Sometimes, if you look carefully, you can see that it's more than the big picture....there's some really interesting detail.

Here that graffiti contained a view of the whole city too;

I liked this;

And this was just the best (for me);

So good I had to post it twice;

While we were there, there was a small audience of dog walkers and passer byes. A couple of artists were working on one of the walls;

I'd like to have stayed to take pictures through the whole process but I wasn't well enough and we had other stuff to do.

I'd also like to have come back in a day or two to get the finished work - but by then it may be gone.....

The circles are a real tourist attraction - free and constantly changing. It's one of very few places where  people can make this style of art without fear of arrest or harassment.

We need to safeguard it and fight for some other walls too.

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

Graffiti at Wokingham.

We'd been to Wokingham and saw some really great street art......then we couldn't find it again.

So, after grinding my teeth for a few days, we went back and found where it had been.

Except it had all gone - in a weekend.

This is what we found;

Don't get me wrong, it's good.

These are 'tags' - the artists street names and they mark out their territory.

They are really fine examples, lots of different styles, not your everyday names scrawled in aerosol.

And, taken as a whole it's a fine display.

It just went on and on and if we hadn't seen what was up there before it would have been really impressive.

OK, it's really impressive.

No, I accept it's very, very good.

But what you aren't seeing are the amazing pieces that were there before. There was some satire, an attack on George Osborne, there was Darth Vader and C-3PO.

But, as I've already said, the nature of street art is that it's ephemeral.

It changes all the time, no one 'owns' the streets.

The only thing that quality wins is a little bit of time and the pieces we came to see had run out of it by the time we went back.

I liked this;

There were a few clues to what we'd missed;

This (I think) was part of the Star Wars piece;

Robyn and I both really liked this one sprayed on a cabinet;

This was the best of the lot;

So good I had to post it twice;

You can catch this at Wokingham, just past the Tesco and near the swimming pool and bowling alley. There is a car park just behind it but probably the easiest way is to walk down from the High Street.

And, I've got some clues about the artists, so you may see some more!

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

Wokingham; here today and gone tomorrow.

We went to Wokingham twice but I'm not sure why we went there in the first place.

Anyway Robyn liked it and while we were there we saw some fantastic street art - which I like a lot.

We wandered around, looked at shops and had a coffee.

These pillars have been painted to brighten up a 1970's shopping development and some of them are quite good;

I liked this;

Anyway, we couldn't find the amazing street art on the way back - it's a town which has been carved up by a railway running through it and a series of one way streets that seem always blocked with traffic. We just couldn't find it and in the end I got tired.

When we came back we saw this door way to a community centre and shop;

This sign in the shop window was nice;

But, strangely, we always seemed to just miss out in Wokingham.

The community shop had just shut when we got there.

We saw some nice wood in a skip and we were going to pick it up on the way back to the car.......only to find the skip had gone in those few moments.

Gggggrrrh!

And the art work? In a matter of days that had all been covered up and new graffiti went up in its place. We couldn't believe it but that is the nature of street art - whether it's some kids tagging or it's Banksy......wait too long and it's gone.

I'll show you what was in it's place tomorrow.

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

Robyn did it - We're off to Dismaland!

After yesterday I was ready - I knew when the next batch of tickets were due to be released and we were ready at 1000 am.

I opened up three lines just when the tickets came on sale and was all ready to lose it completely when I found I was still unable to work out how to buy anything on the internet.

I sat there watching my screen intently as my three lines were queued up - moving deftly between each one, it became quite fascinating; each one was on a countdown waiting for a place in the queue.

Each time I got near to the top, the countdown started again.

Doh!

Meanwhile, very quietly, Robyn bought two tickets for next week!

It's really no big deal;

We got tickets!

Apart from anything else, there are some 50 artists contributing to the artistic event of the year;

"Dismaland® boasts three large galleries which together comprise the finest collection of contemporary art ever assembled in a North Somerset seaside town."

 

 

It also represents the drive and excitement that surrounds art in the southwest today.

 

Part of that may come as a result of established artists like Damien Hurst colonising this part of the world because it's 'pretty'.

 

Actually, the real energy comes from the street; urban, multicultural, radical Bristol which produced 'Massive Attack' in the 1980's. They are playing on the closing night of 'Dismaland' and we may have a go at getting tickets for that as well.

 

They grew out of 'The Wild Bunch' a rampaging mixture of DJ's, Graffiti Artists and Rappers, which pretty well sums up what Bristol was about.

 

Banksy himself is local and 'Dismaland' has been one big thank you to the people of the area - low ticket prices and even free tickets for local people on one night.

 

We are really pleased to have snuck in on the party.

 

It's going to be radical, rebellious and thought provoking.....just as (in a very small way) this Blog has tried to be.

 

Why don't you come along and see for yourself next week?

 

You'll have to be up very early if you're going to come along with us!

 

Neil Harris

(a don't stop till you drop production)

Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

 

 

 



Parisien graffiti.

Last April when I went to Paris I paid a special visit to Belleville to take pictures of the graffiti there - there was some fabulous art there, take a look.

This time my visit was a lot more conventional but I still took the opportunity to take a few pictures of the street art I came across;

 

This is a cobblestone, decorated by an anonymous artist, while this is a plaque on a wall in Montmartre; 

  

 

 



Just like in April, I came across a lot of cut-out graffiti; pre-prepared pieces (often photocopies) which are simply pasted up on a wall. This dancing girl is something special;

I liked this one, he's a character from Tin-Tin (but with a different body), I can't remember his name (is it Captain Bloater?);

 

 

And I couldn't resist some more traditional spray can work. 

 

 

 

 I saw his work last April in Belleville - he's busy on vans in the area (they must hate him!).

 

Then there is photocopier art;

 

Nicely subversive;

 

 

 



 

 

 

Here's another use of traditional streetlights and walls for subversive purposes;

 

 

 

 

 

And I couldn't resist another cobblestone, this one came from Montmartre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neil Harris

(a don't stop till you drop production)

 

Home:  helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

 

Contact me:  neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com