Plug into Soho

In St. Anne's Court in Soho today I noticed this realistic plug in a socket.

On closer inspection I could see it was a small ceramic sculpture.

 

Another example of the area's rich street art. I have no idea who the artist is, if you know please drop me a line.

Greek Court -The Shortest Street in London?

Surely Greek Court in Soho must be amongst the shortest streets in London. The two road signs are at least 70% the length of the publicly accessible part. I would love to know if it extends much beyond the red door.

Greek Court, Soho, London

Does anyone have any more information?

St Anne's Kiss in Soho

I noticed these pieces of street art in St Anne's Court in Soho.

 This kiss, a work on paper.

And this distressed tile.

I can't find anything about either artist or anything else about these works on the web. So I am just documenting their existence here and hoping that someone may have more details.

The Bourchier Street Pig has Departed

The little plastic pig that briefly adorned a tile in Bourchier Street has been removed.

Before

After

The pig's brief reign as "London's Smallest Permanent Public Sculpture" has thus come to an end with the Philpot Lane mice regaining their title. If anybody spots any similar works by the artist I would be grateful for leads.

All You Can Eat Street

Spotted high up, on the south east corner of Frith Street and Shaftesbury Avenue in Soho. Advert or admonishment?

I rarely do the "All You Can Eat" places now.  Maoz and Pollo's are so nearby, so cheap and so filling that even unending buffets of vegetarian duck and prawns can't tempt me away. I suppose I am spoilt.

Regent Remoulds and BP Energol Keep Me on the Road!

I saw these two lovely old adverts in the entrance to the Soho Car Park today.

Isn't it funny how old adverts can be so pleasurable, whilst contemporary adverts can be so annoying. It must be age, I am sure my children will one day take similar delight in an unscraped Adidas ad from "Back in the day".

The Philpot Lane Mice - No Longer the Smallest?

I wrote about the Bourchier Street Pig the other day. It is still there. Does this mean that it now qualifies as the smallest permanent sculpture in London? The previous acknowledged holders of this record are the Philpot Lane Mice.

 

The mice are still fighting over a piece of cheese on the Philpot Lane side of 23 Eastcheap. They apparently date from 1862 when  the building was constructed for the spice merchants Messrs Hunt & Crombie by John Young & Son. I can't think of another piece of Victorian street art in London,  so if the Bourchier Street  Pig now claims the crown of smallest sculpture, perhaps the mice can go for the "Oldest Street Art" title instead.

Explaining The Great Dangaroo Flood of Old Compton Street

How does one begin to try and explain to visitors this grand looking plaque in Old Compton Street? Click on the image to enlarge it if you haven't read it before.

This surreal plaque stands testament to an immersive cross between fiction and a role playing game. From an authoritative source : 

"Kcymaerxthaere is a parallel universe that intersects with much of our linear Earth. The name comes from the cognate words kcymaara (meaning "the true physicality of the planet") and xthaere (which is a shape with almost an infinity of edges or dimensions--infinity minus 29 to be precise). We explore and tell stories of these other realms through many media, but most famously by installing bronze plaques and historic sites that honor events from the parallel world in our linear world."

So that is that cleared up then. As I began, how does one sum this up for a visitor? I did try today but my Danish wasn't up to the task.


The plaque was installed in 2007 for more on Kymaerica click here.

Pig on a Tile in Bourchier Street

I spotted this little plastic pig secured to a tile in Bourchier Street yesterday.

The tile is about 4" square. Judging by the mastic securing it to the wall it is a new addition to the abundant local street art. Does anyone know whose work it is, or if there are other similar farmyard animals in the area?

New Street Art in Charing Cross Road

This adapted road sign was standing on the junction of Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue yesterday morning. I doubt if it is still there now.

I have seen this face elsewhere in the West End, does anybody know who the artist is?

Update 1st May 2011: After an email, thank you, I believe the sign was made by one of the LFH crew. More examples of their handiwork here.

Low Tree Uplifted on Shaftesbury Avenue

I liked this small sign adaptation on Shaftesbury Avenue yesterday.

Not quite as masterly as the work of Dave Askwith and Alex Normanton but still a good bit of work. Reminded by this I went off to snap Askwith & Normanson's superb fake English Heritage Blue Plaque in Golden Square.

The two of them produced a whole series of fake signs a few years ago, each one carefully matching the typeface and colour schemes of official original "targets". They produced a book "Signs of Life" documenting their work and it is still available. There is a feature on them from The Times here.

Now I am not sure if the sign in Golden Square is a fake of a fake! The "original" Askwith & Normanson fake gave the date of Jacob Von Hogflume's residence as 2063, whilst the current sign has moved that date forward by more than a century. Does anyone know the answer?

Bruce Denny in Soho Square

Yesterday I went to Soho Square to see the temporary exhibition of sculpture by Bruce Denny.

Ascension - Bruce Denny

Intrigue - Bruce Denny

Intrigue - Bruce Denny

The Conversion of St Paul - Bruce Denny

The Conversion of St Paul - Bruce Denny

They will be there all summer as part of Westminster City Council's City of Sculpture Festival. For more details and links to his catalogues click here.