Tag: Street art

In 1996, work brought me to Bristol or Brizzle as it sounds in the local dialect known as Bristolian. Listen here. Over the years I’ve really grown to like the place.  It is not too big nor is it too small and it has history. It can be linked to many significant events such as the discovery of North America in 1497 by John Cabot, the construction of technologically advanced ships including the Great Western in 1837 and the SS Great Britain that launched in 1843, blue glass production (known as Bristol Blue) and many nautical phrases such as Shipshape and Bristol fashion whose origin is rapidly fading into the mist of time.

Bristol sits on the Western side of England close to Wales. It has always had a sea port and to this day has strong trading links across the world.  Bristol is perhaps most well known for its links with the America’s, tobacco, slaves and pirates with Edward Teach aka Blackbeard being the best known.

In the 23 years I’ve lived in Bristol it has evolved and mostly for the better.  Take for example the harbour area which has almost completely been regenerated.  The derelict buildings that were a legacy of  a time when trading ships laden with goods used to sail/steam/motor directly into/from the city are gone, replaced with a vibrant area filled with restaurants, pubs and public spaces.  Somehow, a few old cobbled streets and buildings have survived though and these help connect modern Bristol with itself through time for us all to appreciate.  Modern Bristol is a mix of buildings from all ages;  the very old, through Victorian terraces, tower blocks and the very latest designs of stone and glass. 

Like all cities Bristol has had its troubles and darker times too.  More recently, St Paul’s had riots in 1980 and 1987, Hartcliffe in 1992 and Stokes Croft in 2011.  Time has, for the most part, healed those wounds but some signs especially of the 2011 trouble remain.  An example is the ‘Think Local’ and fading ‘Tesco’ on the side of a building close to the Tesco site and the centre for the 2011 unrest.

The majority of the photography in this post comes from the Stokes Croft area.  Today, it’s a wonderfully bohemian area filled with independent, free thinking people who are not adversed to doing things differently.  The area still seems to ‘Think Local’ and has many independent restaurants, clubs and shops.  It has been described as Bristol’s cultural quarter, conservation area and outdoor gallery.  I particularly like the idea of the latter.

In recent years Bristol has become known for its street art thanks, in part, to the artist known as Banksy. Banksy has placed many now famous paintings on city buildings.  Some think all such painting vandalism.  However, as you will see in this post and subsequent posts in the series, much of the painting is artistically strong, colourful and brings a vibrance and character to the area’s in which it exists.  Visitors come specifically each year to walk the city looking at the artwork.  It is a tourist attraction and an attraction that is forever changing as new work is placed over old.

Some of the paintings are huge covering a large proportion of a tower block, others are quite small.  Strangely, whether small or large its easy to miss many unless you happen to be some distance away, perhaps on the other side of a street.   Whilst walking you need to keep looking around as often they may be directly above you!

I hope you enjoyed part 1.  In part 2 I write about Bristol’s famous Lakota club and Full Moon club which both sit on the Southern boundary of Stokes Croft.

Andy

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All images are Copyright Andy Gawthrope Photography.

The Full Moon pub and hostel sits at the Southern border of Stokes Croft and Bristol city.  Originally built in 1716 as an Inn, today it is still providing accommodation to travellers. It is one of the iconic landmarks in Bristol.   Today the building is colourfully painted with stars, galaxies, nebula and other cosmic scenes and is a true site to behold.  As seen in the photograph it is adjacent to a Stokes Croft boundary marker which claims the area to be a Cultural quarter, a Conservation area and an Outdoor gallery. The boundary marker brilliantly summarises Stokes Croft.

Almost next door to the Full Moon at No 2 Stokes Croft is the legendary Blue Mountain Club. It’s a stalwart of the Bristol club scene and its walls are brightly painted. Next to its door is a wall painting that epitomises Stokes Croft and makes a very visual statement about the exploitation of our planet for profit.

Agree or not with its message the artwork is great. A short walk away is Lakota. Lakota is the most know club in Bristol but like the Blue Mountain Club it has been through difficult times. Wikipedia says that in the nineties it was one of the most well known clubs outside of London. Fortunately it continues to survive. Named after a North American Indian tribe who where one of the three tribes forming the Sioux nation, it’s surrounded by some of the older roads in Bristol.

Moon St is one of those older roads. By modern standards it is a narrow lane just wide enough for a single vehicle but it retains its original cobbles. Today it looks a little forgotten, a little grimy and perhaps in need loving care by the city council but as a result it has character. Graffiti and plants jostle for position on the adjoining walls and just beyond the end of the street stands what some will know as the ‘Axa / Sunlife’ building after its former occupants but which is now known as the 51.02 building due to its latitude.

I spent some time in Moon St. taking photographs as there are layers upon layers of graffiti covering every brick, doorway and window in a rich tapestry of imagery. I was captivated by the combination of cobbles, double-yellow road markings, the graffiti and how the plants seemed to be gradually reclaiming the street.

On the other side of Moon St. were a couple of wheelie refuse bins. One was covered with graffiti and the other was more or less untouched. Like the litter that lay strewn around the bins I suspect it hadn’t been there long enough to get painted!  The bins and other photographs of Moon St. are included at the end of this post.  I particularly like the woman pushing a pram along the street.  Perfect timing. Click on them to enlarge.

Leaving Lakota by Upper York Street there is a large portrait of a woman with black hair adorning the end of a building.  It pays to take time and look at the artwork as there are often little things, humorous subtle things, which don’t immediately catch the eye. Look more closely at the following photograph, there is a woman with some sort of creature perched on a window ledge framed by the outline of an old brick window. Spotting this sort of small detail can be greatly rewarding. A gem hidden in plane sight!

The portrait must predate the graffiti which now covers its base and is thus a good example of how the paintings in Bristol change over time.  Some changes are for the good, others less so and some are simple vandalism. Take for example, the Break-dancing Jesus [Lots of pictures on the Internet] commissioned by the Canteen – a cafe/bar/restaurant/music venue. It was a fabulous painting; something you might expect to find in the Vatican, well, perhaps 🙂 Unfortunately, this was defaced not long after its completion. Some Banksy work has similarly suffered. The Naked Man painting on the wall of a sexual health clinic has been daubed in paint.

Some readers may be thinking there is something strange about Bristol, thinking that Bristol is some strange monochromatic city way out in the west country…  Well, no.  I can assure readers that aliens haven’t stolen all colour; all the graffiti and murals are immensely colourful, so colourful that I think they photograph best in black & white where colour doesn’t distract from the shapes and patterns.  Black and white also helps bring a darker feel to the photographs.  That’s my rationale anyway!

In the next part of this series I’ll walk past a Banksy, distracted by some great painting and murals, get off the beaten track and find lots of interesting graffiti.

Andy

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All images copyright Andy Gawthrope Photography.

The Mild Mild West is, of course, the Banksy on the side wall of the Canteen. Walk along the road from the city and it’s easy to miss. Walk towards the city and it’s impossible to miss! So what did I do? Yup, you guessed it! First I got distracted by the collection of bicycles under a tree at Turbo Island and then by a big stylised ‘Forever’ painted on the Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC) Outdoor Gallery wall.  The paintings on this wall change frequently so its always worth a look when passing. The artwork is always of a very high standard.

But above and to the left of the wall are my personal mural favorites. They are much smaller than others but very, very good. Click on the image to the left for a larger version were they are easier to see. Approximately fourteen small paintings, all designed to look like vintage 20th Century posters, decorate the outer wall of a building. My particular favourites are the Stamp, Abduls soup – a play on Campbells soup, Crofts – a play on Crufts, the Invisible Circus and the Bristol bike Project. It’s such a shame that one day we will loose these; photography will record them but photography won’t capture the emotional reaction to seeing them in-place and where they belong. The PRSC, an organisation that promotes street art in Bristol is located here and I urge readers to take a look at their website.

Just opposite the PRSC wall is another great mural, the Tsunami of Roses. Now, to be honest, I’m not sure what this is about! Yes, there is a large red and white wave but why the stilts and men with a telescope? What am I missing here?

Paintings are tucked away throughout Bristol not just in Stokes Croft, but at this point in the afternoon I wanted to get off the beaten track and explore some of the back-streets in Stokes Croft, places I hadn’t ventured before and to hopefully find something new. I can’t remember now where I went; I just meandered the streets knowing that sooner or later I’d find something I recognised and thus a way back. All this was during the light of day, had it been dark I would not have been so keen. It would most probably have been just fine, but safety first…

Just off one of the streets, in what was probably the grounds of a building long since demolished and behind a chain to stop vehicles using it as a parking area was a lovely painting of a girl (See the first image in Part 1 of this series). Now, I’m not sure if it was just coincidence or perhaps the artists intention, but just in front of her was a 45 Gallon oil drum painted with big eyes looking back at the girl. Clever as it added a 3rd dimension to the painting extending it out of the wall.

Exploring further I ventured down a small, run-down, road and was rewarded to find the painting of a lovely bird perched on a branch. I don’t know my birds but it doesn’t look native to the UK, perhaps from someplace a lot warmer and somewhere exotic. What do readers think? It was also nice to see that although the painting had some graffiti, the graffiti had mostly avoided the bird.

A little further along was a run-down garage whose side wall was covered in brightly coloured graffiti. It looked abandoned and I cannot imagine anyone using it to shelter a car. Leaning against the garage door was a piece of steel that looked like it was once a gate or grill. What made me smile was that someone had painted a smiley on a square and attached it to the steel. It seemed so incongruous. A happy, smiley face attached to old steelwork leaning against a decaying garage covered in graffiti. 🙂

Yet further along the road were some very rundown, but sound looking buildings whose ground floor was covered in graffiti. But on the end-wall was a painted face wearing a green peak cap with a single star. I’m not sure of the symbolism and thus meaning but the design of the hat reminded me of the sort commonly worn by Fidel Castro so I wonder if the painting is a political statement about the suppression of the workers and fighting for freedoms.

This little street was proving to be quite a gem as just around the next corner were a couple more paintings again adorning the side of garage walls. One of these – to the right – is in colour as the character painted didn’t render well in black and white. Like other paintings, the symbolism and message of this one is lost to me but, for that, I like it non the less. In fact, shortly after taking the photograph a car arrived and parked in the garage. The driver didn’t look like the sort of person who would have created the painting tho.

Just next door was something I found easier to understand. The image of a guillotine with the blade being a Bank of England Visa card plus the message ‘Meanwhile on debt row…’ makes for a very striking message. It is a shame that some large graffiti has been placed over who/whatever was in the guillotine and who was holding its rope so some of its message is now lost. Higher on the wall a large bird with a similar beak and eye to that in the colour photograph is perched atop an alarm.

It would be interesting to better understand a lot of these paintings so their full meaning could be appreciated. Perhaps that hidden meaning is important tho – the message is only decernable to those with the knowledge…

What I’ve presented in this series is just a tiny, tiny fraction of the painting and graffiti in Bristol. The photographs are the result of an afternoon walk around some streets in Stokes Croft. There is so much more to explore and as paintings change often there is always something new too see. I fully expect to spend some more time in the city soon.

In Bristol, graffiti can be found in many places, the murals/paintings are less common and, in my simple uneducated opinion, of a high quality. Is Bristol different from any other city? I don’t know. But what I do know is it’s a great city, that Stokes Croft is an artistic area with independent, free thinking people who are making Bristol a colourful and better place.

Andy

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All images are Copyright Andy Gawthrope Photography