A decorated wall in the East End
If this phenomenon happens in general in the whole city, in the east, the orbit speed is even more dizzying . And it is here that it is, almost always, where that whiting that bites its tail and what begins in a marginal and almost clandestine way, can perfectly become an object of veneration . Just look at how the shops and crowds at Spitlafields and Brick Lane markets have changed. Or how Banksy's graffiti, in the middle of the street, has been protected with methacrylate panels (or they look at Brad Pitt's house). Or, much simpler, what we have paid for them to teach us everything.
The route is a bit peculiar, with a somewhat peculiar content and with an equally peculiar guide. Focus on this change and in the street art that colors three out of two East End facades, in particular.
Two pedestrians pass in front of two ROA works
Our cicerone wears a visor, baggy pants and a hooded sweatshirt full of colored patches. , which gives us the first clue as to what his hobbies are. For a couple of hours we followed him like school children visiting the British Museum, listening to the story of how this art entered the neighborhood in the 1960s and how it has evolved until now.
Banksy, ROA, Shepherd Fairy, Jimmy C, Invader or Stik are some of the names that sound again and again, perhaps unknown to the general public but authentic Van Goghs, Caravaggios or Picassos for graffiti artists . Not only because of their fame, but also because of their differences in style. Some make naturalist trompe l'oeil or works with very fast strokes and expressionist features, while the works of others have a naive or comic appearance. There are also those in which the real genius is the message and the game of cat and mouse with the London urban cleaning employees.
A woman watches a construction site on a London street
There are no fences for the imagination: murals, ceramics, small tiles that create Pac-Man, rococo frames that don't frame anything or rounded blue plaques that simply say "this plaque was installed on such-and-such a day." There is something to see on every corner, a wink at every door, and they all have a story behind them. He is there to tell us all of them. Some are friends, others idols. They have all contributed to creating the landscape where he lives and where he works, making these routes pioneering in London.
The second part of the day invites action (how could it be otherwise) and the implementation of what has been learned in the streets. It's time to soak up that experience that so obsesses tourist offices. We got on an old bus totally tuned up, parked in a kind of parking lot, and we take markers and scissors to create our own design . Right there, with a shipment of aerosols of all colors, we give free rein to our imagination. A tree with nests of fluor rubber ducks is my debut film. Mixed technique of stencil and freehand on pallet board. It is more than likely that he will never show up at Brad Pitt's house. But time to time.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
Routes and workshops take place every Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The approximate price of everything is 25 pounds per person. More information on the Alternative London website.
A trompe l'oeil from Roa
a street play