Being totally candid – I MISS LONDON. I miss the daily churning of the street art scene. I miss the hunt and the surprise of finding new work, the city’s vitality, youth culture and edginess, even the pollution, not to mention wearing out my shoes.
With London now hamstrung by a pandemic, I’ve resorted to browsing through my photographs to re-experience some great street art and to keep that buzz alive.
I miss the busy streets, the sidewalk congestion and even the illogical way about 30 million visitors a year are convinced to walk and drive on the ‘wrong’ side. I have been saved, more than once, by those “Look Right” or “Look Left” warnings painted on almost every street corner. Not getting killed, while photographing walls is definitely an accomplishment.
There are lots of images filled with things that I used to snub as ‘tourist chachkas’ – like cups and keychains in traditional red, white and blue colours or the royal insignia. I have even begun to covet those stiff-upper lip t-shirts covered with slogans like – “I love London”, “Mind the gap” or “Stay calm and carry on”.
London’s cultural offerings span from the historic Buckingham Palace pile in the west to the street art gentrification of neighbourhoods happening in the east. This city is prepared to offer Rembrandt or a Banksy…. almost 24/7.
In the search for London’s best venues a partial list includes the Tate Modern, the National Portrait Gallery, both Gagsoians, the Saatchi, White Cube and the Serpentine Galleries.
For street art, head off to the Stour Space in Hackney Wick, the Leake Tunnel, Brick Lane, Penge, Walthamstow and The Basement. Spin-off experiences include the doomed windows of Victoria’s Secret and the house of Alexander McQueen.
Yes, I miss LONDON.
