Category: Street Art

#947 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Serendipity, Street Art2 Comments

Facebook timehop gave me this image this morning from exactly 10 years ago. It is an image of a young Hugo finding an empty shelf in a quirky antique/book/giftshop/cafe in Spitalfields, London.  The cafe was in the basement.

https://www.townhousespitalfields.com/

The cafe was a place I loved to visit after very long shifts in a hospital. Stepping down into the basement shifted the reality of a busy London life.

Spitalfields always felt like home. I had known this corner of London from the age of 18 when I first arrived in London as a student. The area was somewhat more gritty at that time.

But that cafe inadvertantly brought me to blogging as a daily ritual.

Knowing, that in a life of science, I had abandoned my love of inconsequential writing, I often looked at creative writing courses. I never bothered to apply because I was a little intimidated. Creative writing being something other people did.

I had dabbled at blogging but not  fully committed, or found my niche, when I saw a blogging course run by The Gentle Author.

https://spitalfieldslife.com/

There is no doubt in my mind that once again I would have thought that such a course was not for me. But by a gorgeous coincidence he ran his courses at the Spitalfields Townhouse. Finally, fate, kismet or simple serendipity kicked me into action.

And that my friend, is why we are both together today. Me writing inconsequentially and you reading something of no consequence.

From Hugo being cute in a cafe to theoldmortuary pondering.

Beyond blogging, Spitalfields is just the most tingle worthy part of London.

Great Architecture.

Gilbert and George.

Brick Lane.

Bagels

Art Galleries

Diversity

Street Art

I could go on but Google does it better.

I urge you to read the two links I have shared, the location and The Gentle Author are both a good visit

Below is a tiny taste of my Spitalfields fascination.

And, to end, two small stories.

The time my art filled the front window of a gallery.

And the after party.

And to finish on a blogging note. The Smoked Mackerel Moment

I was attending a very International blogging course and the lunchtime offering was a smoked mackerel salad. It turns out that smoked mackerel does not hold huge excitement for International bloggers. I love the stuff and the lovely hostess encouraged me to eat more than would normally be polite.

There is a reason smoked mackerel should be eaten in small portions.

Gluttony can be exceedingly painful. A bellyful of smoked mackerel is not a comfortable belly. Only large quantities of iced water could politely save the afternoon. My creative writing skipped a beat for a couple of hours. A different useful lesson was learned.

#903 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Serendipity, Street Art1 Comment
©My Dog Sighs Graffiti

Getting our backyard into shape after a long wet winter/spring involves little tweaks of DIY and trips to my favourite hardware store. A store that has been in the city since 1927 when Union Street was very posh. The street is a lot less posh now but as I love a bit of faded glamour it is a good place for an urban dog walk when I need to visit the store.

Not all the faded glamour is all that glamorous. This street was once infamous as the Red Light District and bustling hub of the city’s nightlife. The street art in some of the less-than-salubrious nooks and crannies is wonderful though.

And if I needed any illegal drugs this would be just the sort of place to find them.

I just find street art so fascinating. I love this eye because, reflected in it is another piece of local art. A sculpture by Antony Gormley which is at West Hoe.

Look II by Antony Gormley. (Rusty Reg)

While fact checking this blog I was charmed to see that google maps use the ‘ local’ name rather than the official one

In some interesting digital circularity I created this image.

The Buddha I was refurbing*, hence the trip to the hardware store, got a brief moment of wide- eyed giddiness when I superimposed street art and Rusty Reg over contemplatively closed eyelids.

*https://theoldmortuary.design/2024/05/02/902-theoldmortuary-ponders-2/

All this arty pondering and I have not mentioned the really puzzling thing about my city walk.  There was deer poo on the grass at the back of Union Street. What on earth was a deer/deers doing in the city centre? So unlikely I am at a loss to even ponder such a thing.

Do deers slip into the city to buy illegal drugs?, Do they attend live music gigs? Do they do DIY ?Do they like Street Art?

#647 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Serendipity, Street Art1 Comment

I was in a very normal park today. Imaginatively called Peacock Meadow but squeezed between large industrial estates and some housing. The rain took me by surprise and I took refuge in this bandstand style shelter. It featured entirely teenage style graffiti and some of the comments and images were both timeless and entirely up to date. There was a good selection of cartoon penises and some statements that made me laugh out loud. I was a bit surprised by the amount of homophobia and racism expressed. I would have hoped younger people had greater tolerance and more open minds. But street art wherever I find it fascinates me.

The colours were fabulous, even if the opinions expressed lacked imagination or ambition beyond having sex with other peoples mothers, putting phone numbers out in the public domain, or commenting on school friends erogenous zones. All the same old stuff I experienced in the bus station of the town where I went to school. But one statement was so of it’s time no one would have understood it 20 years ago.

There was also a good bit of peeling paint.

I think I have managed to avoid the more controversial or unpleasant elements. Unfortunately the examples of clever wit that made me laugh came into that category but here are some of the colours and patterns.

I realised that my little village of Gosfield in North East Essex must have been very well behaved. There were loads of teenagers kicking around with not too much to do. I can’t think of anywhere that was given the Graffiti treatment. The only exception was the pews in the church. The back ones were habitually used by boys from a fairly low-grade Independent school, there were a lot of penises and expletives in that church. The funny thing is that history gives graffiti gravitas. If those words and illustrations, either in the church of my home village or the fake bandstand yesterday had been carved by medieval youth the etchings and carvings would be preserved as a tourist hot spot. The subject matter would be virtually the same.

And why the name Peacock Meadow. Google is a wonderful thing.

In 1719 Sidney Strode produced an “Account of the Strode Family” in which he makes reference to duel fought between Richard Strode and Sir Philip Courteney of Loughtor. The duel was fought on the green at the lower end of what was marshmeadow, Colebrook. And what were they fighting over, a family feud, an issue of honour, or a young lady? No, they were arguing over a peacock killed by a servant.

#630 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Coffee Hunters, Street Art1 Comment
© My dog Sighs

Car repairs can take you to the most interesting places. Regular readers of this blog will know that I like to hunt out Street Art. I am also a bit dismissive of the lack of good street art in Plymouth. But coffee and the car drew me to Sawrey Street in Millbay yesterday. With an hour or two to waste we fueled up on coffee and comestibles at YaYa’s

YaYa’s had appeared on an invoice for a gardening event I was helping to plan. As the committee sat around discussing the expenses there was an appreciative mumble of cake reminiscing. YaYa’s apparently make exceedingly good cakes.

From personal experience I can also say they make a great take out coffee for a street wander. Historically Sawrey Street was part of a network of streets that made up the notorious Plymouth red light district. Technology, regeneration and new residential blocks have changed things in this area which has a daytime economy of light industrial use. There are a lot of building sites and artists are encouraged to add Graffiti to the security hoardings that encircle emerging new hotels and apartment blocks.

What I had not realised is that notable British Street artists have been commissioned to place art in the small streets and alleys of Millbay.

©Words on Walls Anita Christie

The area still has echoes of notoriety and I probably wouldn’t poke around in these tiny back streets at night but that is often where the best Street Art exists. I am just amazed that I have never thought to look here before.

Puffin © Fark. Fk

The curious thing about Street Art in Plymouth is that for the most part it stays pristine. Nobody over-sprays a tag or adds a sticker or a stencil of their own. Plymouth does not do Palimpsest Street Art. The worst that probably happens on these works is a drunken pee and they probably do witness whatever remains of the illicit night time economy in this once notorious area.

© Isobel Stretton Art

#401 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Serendipity, Street Art1 Comment
Stickers add to the palimpsest of Street Art

After two days of Tamar Valley art @theoldmortuary is going to double- back to Dublin for a quick whizz through some street art. Dublin being Dublin there is also some great wordage included. Starting with the Love Wall on Love Lane.

Check out more work from Anna Doran below.

http://www.annadoranart.com/

There was not exactly a plan A or plan B for our trip to Dublin. There was one fixed item on our itinerary but the rest was left to chance and the weather. As things turned out the weather was perfect for just wandering the streets. Our wanderings for Saturday and Sunday were about 20,000 steps each day divided into two sessions, longer daytime adventures and then after a rest an after dark trip out.

Sometimes the quest for good coffee and baked goods brought us an unexpected extra of street art.

Alongside great coffee, cardamom buns, fuel for more walking and a sticker pole.

https://www.properordercoffeeco.com/

Other street art was more commercial and directive.

But street artists also get in on the act.

We found a lot of work by Oriel.

Too much lovely street art to share it all here but this James Joyce quote on Harman Street sums up our two day visit.

http://www.signsofpower.com/info

#62 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Advent, Devils Point, Serendipity, Street Art1 Comment

Good morning Miss Spearmint. We had a long walk this morning which ended up near to our swimming beach. Miss Spearmint had taken up residence to digest her fishy breakfast so there were very few swimmers and everyone was advised not to swim or interact with her. Recently a marine mammal charity has set up a swimmers/walkers whatsapp group for the whole of Plymouth Sound which pinpoints where she is swimming,or hauled out so that people can avoid interacting with her. On the whole it seems to be working.Unfotunately though Miss Spearmint does still crave the company of humans which is not good for her.

Before Miss Spearmint hijacked this blog I was going to natter on about retail counters. Not the sort that are so busy in the general run up to Christmas but one that no longer exists.

I found this sign this morning on the earlier part of my walk as I explored an undeveloped area of the Royal William Yard. This picture has everything that I love. Rust, peeling paint and mystery. A mystery that could be revealed if only we had the ledger that holds the codes for 15.SI.

Really close to this beautiful door is some very contemporary deliberate graffiti which brings a little colour to the blog which Miss Spearmint and a faded door have failed to do. I will end on a bright note!

#35 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Bobbing, Street ArtLeave a comment

Our winter swimming- hut had been attacked by vandals overnight. This is the only piece of their graffiti that is reproducible. Strangely prophetic, as,unknown to me, there was a surprise morning party planned to follow the swim. We also regularly eat cake and drink tea in this particular hut. This morning Facebook memories reminded me that 3 years ago I was in South Korea and a quick visit to my photo archive brought up a piece of actual street art that featured tea and cakes.

South Korea also provided us with actual tea and cakes, of course!

And coffee and cakes.

And indeed coffee and breakfast.

Which has nicely removed this blog away from the nasty homophobic, racist, mysogynist, violent graffiti that we were confronted with yesterday, by focusing on the one sentence that offended no-one. Note to the writers of the graffiti, the teachers and word nerds in our swimming group were not impressed with your grammar or punctuation. The artists among us thought your anatomical drawings were pretty rudimental.

Pandemic Pondering #508

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Home Towns, Street ArtLeave a comment
©Ricky Fenn Mazie Shalders

Last week a favourite piece of Plymouth Street Art got a sad addition and at 11 this morning there will be a Silence held across the country to remember and reflect on the events of last Thursday.

©Hutong

Yesterday evening nature also marked some time in Plymouth. A dense sea fog briefly cloaked the city making everything grey and a little more silent.

Overlooking Plymouth from Down Thomas. ©Kevin Lindsey

Pandemic Pondering #465

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Bobbing, Friends, Serendipity, Street Art3 Comments

Bobbing with bubbles is not a regular piece of behaviour at all but this had not been a normal bobbing week. Even more unusually we managed to use a Winston Churchill quote in the after swim nattering session. Friday bobbing is the most regular session and happens at about 10:30 each Friday morning.

This was our first Friday swim since moving house. Apparently we need to hurry up because the water is lovely once you get in!

Our first Wednesday day swim after moving featured a pod of Dolphins. Friday featured Pol Roger Champagne!

Bobbers getting giddy before noon is definitely not normal. New house owners getting giddy before more unpacking is surprisingly effective. Although not in all corners of a room.

A tidy sofa is essential for a little post-bob, post Pol Roger siesta. It is almost certain that Winston Churchill would not have needed a siesta after drinking Pol Roger in the morning. It was his favourite champagne and he drank it with a traditional Full-English breakfast often. Thankfully we don’t have his responsibilities or the budget for such a lifestyle. But just once with the lovely Bobbers after a sparkling swim was just perfect. Our bobbing friend Helen provided the Champagne. She also gave us the chance to hear her sharing her voice in a graffiti- decorated disused grain store not far from our Bobbing Zone.

Follow the link below to hear her voice paired with great acoustics and gorgeous Street Art.

Jenny of Oldstones performed by Helen Bobber.

A remarkable day in the Tamar Valley.

Pandemic Pondering #301

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Street ArtLeave a comment

A little bit of Plymouth Street Art. I’m not sure what it means but curiosity aside,it is a lovely thing to look at. I was looking for something blue to illustrate this blog. Then this jaunty seagull took me on an unexpected journey.

Here we are in the second weekend of the third lockdown. Worse than that this is the weekend before Blue Monday . Said to be the worst day of the year. So called, because of dark evenings, poor weather, festive joy draining away,  and bills arriving by post.

I’m not sure any media source will be brave enough to joke about Blue Monday this year. January can be very flat even without a worldwide pandemic but glum is the word that springs to mind when thinking about January 2021.

Searching for something blue to illustrate “blue Monday’ brought me blogging luck.

The Street Art seagull brightens up the street and puzzles with his enigmatic message. He most certainly is not glum, almost the reverse. Then Google steps in.                      

‘None Here’ is the tag of Exeter based artist. Steve McCracken.

©Steve McCraken

https://www.stevemccrackenart.com/artist-statement/

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/solving-mystery-breathtaking-artwork-appearing-4213302?utm_source=sharebar&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sharebar

Follow the two links above to understand the artist and the enigmatic bird. The seagull does exactly what the artist desires. Perfect Street Art.