Things I’ve seen…

It is the final day of my little break from work and therefore the amount of galleries and mooching I can achieve will be much less. From here on in guys I am working for a living again, with that in mind I thought I’d sign off with a few images I took today.

Just off Mare St.

Corp...

Love this, mix of freehand, stencil and even print outs I think. I have not got a head for heights so not going to climb in order to find out

Along the canal

Urban redevelopment - face the facts

You can tell the Olympics is just around the corner, even the empty flats in the Eastend have been given a lil make-over, we wouldn’t want our touristy friends to see un-used boarded up eyesores. Bravo Hackney council

Just propped up in the Eastend

It's only a door dear

I’ve said it before, Street Art does not need to be beautiful in the classic sense, I’d take a nice and simple piece of humour over some of the staid stuff you can see… this is very cute

Another Stik…

Stik & A N Other

Think it is a new one as I have not noticed this before, it is pretty big and in a fairly clear place off Old Street. I think this might be the start of the piece, and that there is more to follow as we have seen before, Stik likes to re-visit his pieces in the future.

Below is a great piece as well, huge head, not sure who that is, any thoughts ya’l?

Sweet Toof – Prolific

Mobile toof

Another piece in East London, it seems every corner you turn there is another piece, maybe he should try another part of London or even jump on the train and head to Manchester, they could do with a little help.

Just off Mare St and London Fields, well hidden mind…

 

 

Things I’ve seen….

Mooching around London, spying what I can spy, taking a few pics and showing you lot…

This piece I would like to name Golden Showers.

I think the name is rather apt....

This is a massage parlour on Great Eastern St, I have not noticed the graf before, it used to just look quite dull and seedy… now it looks rather alluring and I am wondering what ‘Canary Flavour’ is, still not sure I’ll be going in there mind

Happy finish?

Possibly the most photographed in East London? Possibly. Always being tweaked and added to, nice addition with the ‘Home Sweet, Home Less’ script.

Ain't that the truth

Terry O’Neill – Reworked – Rook & Raven Gallery

el Tel

London is awash with exhibitions at the moment and a fair few of those are free. Terry O’Neill has shot some of the world’s most recognisable faces and this remix of some of those pictures is really interesting, if a little too brief. It only opened last week but the Rook & Raven gallery felt a little empty.

O'Neill + Dawe do Bardot

Aside from the number of pieces to ogle, it was good, I like the space and the uncluttered approach. I was looking forward to seeing James Dawe and my favourite pieces were from Dawe, combining collage and digital techniques to give the images an almost stencil street art effect.

O'Neill + Dawe do Stones

Daniel Lumbini‘s Jagger piece is cool too, showing a very young Jagger, looking rather feminine and with ladies hands reaching all over him, as was the reality in those early gigs.

O'Neill + Lumbini do Jagger

Then there is the British national treasure, Mr Elton John, I prefered the original to anything that had been reworked.

O'Neill does Elton in Windsor Great Park

 

Another type of social commentary – Ben Drew

Street art and graffiti is social commentary, beit that little known stencil artist Banksy and his inclusion of rats, police et al or simple RIP and gang tags. So is music although it seems there is less than in previous years when you had Rock rebelling against Vietnam or the Falklands or Punk sticking two fingers up at Thatcher and her conservative mob. More political and angry music would not go amiss in these days of vanilla RnB crap.

The latest recording from a certain Plan B is accompanied by a pretty dark video, stripping back his thoughts on the world his peers live in and the world that lead to the London Riots of 2011. The imagery and lyrics are dark, but it is a strong story to tell and maybe it will make society evaluate rather than sweep under the carpet.

Middle England will probably only know Plan B from his last and very successful album The Defamation of Strickland Banks, where he wowed them with his soulful voice, I am guessing they were not aware of his previous incarnation as a potty mouth. I quite like the image of a Daily Mail reader picking up the new album Ill Manors and being shocked to a minor heart attack.

A very typical Daily Mail.... Cnuts

Plan B speaks with some clarity about the need to understand why the riots happened and how there is always a different perspective to understand, his statement here almost feels like getting his defense in first before middle England attacks, rest assured they will.

Shots of the day – Canal Art

RDM anyone?

The canals of London town offer a menagerie of art works, it seems these arte the training grounds for the next gen before they head to Shoreditch and the like and really start showing off. Regardless you can spot some cool stuff down by the waterside, although at this stage I have not got the foggiest who did them

Hidden away under a bridge on the canal

Get on the canal near Hommerton and have a wonder along and see for yourself. If you get as far as Springfield Marina you could have a pint too… who would have thought I would turn in to a citizen advice bureau.

Pins Toof or Snip Foot maybe?

Also those boat people are a thoroughly nice bunch too, not all crusty at all. Every day is a school day for me right now

Things to do this week…

Couple of great exhibitions in London town this week to check out.

Alex Daw

No.1. the rather creepy but also rather good Terry O’Neill, one of the most iconic photographers working today has taken some quite famous images in his time. In this exhibition at The Rook & Raven gallery, some of his most famous images have been re-interpreted by some of the best up and coming talent such as Alex Daw and Nick Gentry. Terry O’Neill – Reworked

Gilbert & George

No.2. Gilbert & George – London Pictures, they do not really need an awful lot of introduction, their latest exhibition is at the Bermondsey White Cube and features a commentary on the British media if you like, for 6 years the artists have been half-inching the headline sheets form the add stands these make up their new collection. For someone who takes a keen interest in the media, written word and art, this should be the perfect combo for me.

Reviews to follow…..

This added to the brilliant Lucian Freud Portraits and David Shrigley: Brain Activity , London really is a great place to be right now.

Converse – I am not angry, I am disappointed

One brand I have always wanted to work for, the one that I would choose above any other is a simple but classic one, Converse. I love the shoe design and the history of it, the fact anyone can wear them and look great and despite the fact they are pretty uncomfortable and I ruin them within weeks, they have pretty much been a fixture in my extensive shoe wardrobe for 20 years.

But…

WTF is this idea to create glow in the dark pumps? Sounds shite? Is shite!

Looks like a shite Halloween to me

Keep it simple white or blue for me

Classic rock shoe

Sweet Toof – from blank canvas to finished article

Featured a lot of Sweet Toof recently, because he is bloody everywhere, the guy must have just finished his day job because he is everywhere.

On Tuesday I was wondering home and spotted someone just starting off a piece, I saw the outline of some gnashers so slyly took a pic and scuttled off.

In the beginning....

Today I returned and it is finished, here it is in all it’s glory

Ta daaaaa

Clean Toof

Given the location away now...

All I’ll say is it is Off Hackney Road, very simple to find