Van Gogh's Living Wall - The Movie!

In May I posted a short piece on the Van Gogh Living Wall outside the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Digging around the net I have found this short film about the creation of the wall.

It was produced by the sponsor of the wall GE. Apparently it took 500 hours of work to precisely position each of the 8,000 plants. The computer generated template that was used being based on Van Gogh's Wheatfield, with Cypresses. This 2 minute corporate film does however have some interesting behind the scenes shots of the wall being assembled and then erected on site.


If you have taken your own photos of the wall you can tag them #GElivingwall and add them to an online mosaic of images being created on GE's Facebook page www.facebook.com/ecomagination .

I must say the wall looks better each time I pass it, as the plants mature and their colours become ever more distinctive.  I hope it sets a trend.

Green Housing Monopolises Pall Mall

Street Art of any kind is rare in the clubland of St James's, so I was pleased to spot this small example in Pall Mall yesterday.

The green paper house is a reference to Pall Mall's inclusion as a property in the original British Monopoly boards. I am old enough to remember when there was only one iconic board available. Today there a bewildering number of different versions available. I am sure the new versions are still able to inspire family rows wherever they are played but they can't inspire pub crawls, so I remain a traditionalist.

The author of this blog is a qualified City of Westminster Tour Guide who runs unique walking tours throughout Westminster, see tabs for details.

Nose for Sale - Is it a Rick Buckley?

Paul Smith's antique shop in Albemarle Street currently have this handsome nose for sale.

 

The price tag is £550 and guesses at a 1960's US origin for the unsigned piece.

To my eye the piece is not stone but resin and seems remarkably like two of the famous Seven Noses of Soho (these were produced, in several sizes and in resin by Rick Buckley before being attached to buildings around Soho in the 1990's, see previous posts for more on them). The tentative attribution to a US artist is based on the fact that a Paul Smith buyer found this nose in Miami.

Now as someone who has devoted a lot of time to researching the noses and even leads guided tours around them, I would bet money this nose is a Rick Buckley ... but I have no proof. Can anyone help? Does anyone know if Rick Buckley produced free-standing noses for sale in addition to his building enhancements? Do you perhaps own a similar nose? Please drop me a line if you can shed any light on any of this.

The author of this blog is a qualified City of Westminster Tour Guide who runs unique walking tours throughout Westminster, including The Seven Noses of Soho, see tabs for details.

Not Quite Tower Bridge

For those of you who have been following the series of pictures of Tower Bridge under construction, please bear with me. I put the first post out on Saturday and it generated a very high level of interest. The second post went up on Monday and things went to a level that this blogger never expected and has never experienced!

In addition to many kind comments, tweets, Facebook likes and so forth I have also been inundated with emails and phone calls. The interest has been global, from Argentina to China as well as the US, Canada and the UK. Last night I was getting more hits from New Zealand and Australia then back in the UK and this morning South Africa topped the chart!

The third post, with the final six photos of the bridge nearing completion, was planned for today. But there is a hitch: the man who saved the pictures in the first place, and who let me share them here, is away for a few days. He is totally unaware of all the interest his pictures have generated.

I feel it is only fair to let him know how popular they are, let him share the fun of seeing traffic come to them from all over the globe and also ask him whether he would be willing to share a few more details about where they came from and  how he saved them. After all, if anyone deserves the praise for sharing these historic photos it is him rather than your author. So I will wait until his return before publishing any more of his pictures.

In the meantime (I do realise this is hardly a suitable replacement for the intended images) but I did spot this outside Dolphin Square in Pimlico and it made me smile.

Back tomorrow with a more sober piece on a GE Street and GF Watts masterpiece that is about to celebrate an important anniversary. Thanks in advance for your forbearance.

The author of this blog is a qualified City of Westminster Tour Guide who runs unique walking tours throughout Westminster, see tabs for details.

Rise of the Non-Conformists in Islington

Finishing touches were being made to a new exhibition of street art in Whitecross Street, Islington, yesterday.

The exhibition The Rise of the Non Conformists opened on the 11th July and will run until August 19th.

IMAGE BY WRECKAGE

Whitecross Street and the surrounding area is now crammed with works by over 30 leading urban artists.

Teddy Baden, the curator of the show and a contributing artist told me that the real highlight of the show will be a two-day street party on July 23rd and 24th. There will be live street painting by a host of artists, music, food and family friendly stuff.

One of the artists who will be taking part is Ben Wilson, the artist who paints on chewing gum. I have been a fan of Ben Wilson for a long time but had never seen one of his works for real until Teddy gave me a hint.

In Loving Memory of Linda Bassett - Ben Wilson 2011

Ben Wilson has already contributed to the exhibition with this tribute to Linda Bassett who passed away last year.  "Without Linda this project would not have been possible.  She remains infinitely loved and deeply missed.".

There is work for sale too, with 25% of all proceeds going to SHP, a London-based charity working with people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Other partners, supporters and sponsors include The Barbican Centre, Peabody, Islington Council, The London Symphony Orchestra, St Luke’s Community Centre, Travis Perkins and the YMCA.

Teddy and his team must be congratulated on pulling together such a wide range of leading talent and supporters to lay on this wonderful, playful, engaging and totally free event. See you on the 23rd and 24th July!

The author of this blog is a qualified City of Westminster Tour Guide who runs unique walking tours throughout Westminster, see tabs for details.

Romantic Pigeon Exudes Love in Holborn

A lovestruck pigeon has left this statement outside Aviation House in Kingsway.

 

Using the only medium of expression available (poo, droppings, guano, excrement, call it what you will) the bird, with a deft flick of the tail feathers, has left us Londoners a moving affirmation of love; a love that transcends the divisions that exist between our respective species.

Quite why the doorstep of 125 Kingsway was chosen by the pigeon will probably remain a mystery. Occupants currently include Ofsted, the Medical Research Council and the Food Standards Agency; perhaps someone from one of these organisations can shed some light on the matter or perhaps not?

I will now be scouring the streets of London for more evidence of the expressive powers of pigeons. If you have already found anything similar, a smiley face, a CND symbol, a fleur-de-lis, Pi, a short message, any example of pigeon pavement art (who now knows just what they are capable of) do please drop me a line.

Senior Whitehall Source Reveals New Nose in Soho!

I was contacted this week by a Senior Whitehall civil servant regarding a new nose in Soho! Seriously I was, I am not making this one up!

For those of you who do not already know about the legend of Seven Noses of Soho please see this link to an earlier post Seven Noses of Soho Discovered . For those of you who are already afficianados, I present to you "The Roman Nose"

My Senior Civil Service source, who I shall refer to as Tony, leaked the information to me by email on Monday. His cryptic Latin clue took some unravelling but after a long slog through Soho I was thrilled to spot it myself. Naturally this new discovery has been incorporated in all my future "Seven Noses of Soho" walking tours.

So now there are confirmed sightings of eight noses but two of them lie just outside Soho. Is it possible that a ninth still remains within Soho's boundaries? If that were true then there really would be Seven Soho Noses. Any sightings or alternate theories gratefully received.

McDonald's Defy Banksy Ban in Bond Street

Outside the West One Shopping complex, that houses Bond Street Station, this sign has appeared.

No food or drink illustrations allowed beyond this point

Inside West One the food illustrators, chiefly McDonalds, are carrying on regardless! In defiant mood they have even chosen to illustrate precisely the products that Banksy has specifically banned i.e. burgers, fries and sodas!

I will not give McDonald's the oxygen of publicity that they so clearly crave by reproducing their illustrations here, I am sure you can imagine the sort of images they have so blatantly used.

Banksy first issued a similar ban back in 2010 at his "Lambeth Palace" cinema on Leake Street, where Exit Through the Gift Shop premièred. You can see an image of the original large scale sign here.

The message of the smaller scale sticker at Bond Street is not diminished by its size. Nor do I think it matters whether Banksy himself produced the sticker version and placed it here, or whether it is the work of a studio assistant. The message is clear and I feel McDonald's should desist from food illustration at the site immediately.

Does anyone know of other sites where McDonald's are flouting similar bans?  If so please drop me a line and perhaps together we can nip this worrying trend in the bud.

Former Empire's Sun Not Set In Notting Hill

Street artist "Former Empire" administers dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories throughout Notting Hill and beyond. There are large scale works, such as this on Pembridge Road.

And there are more modest works, such as this in the basement Gents of the Earl of Lonsdale on Portobello Road.

The artist's blog has other examples and some interesting links here.

This is a Canvas - Definitive Street Art?

This is a Canvas

Spotted in Pimlico, on Vauxhall Bridge Road, near the corner with Regency Place.

A number of the same messages have cropped up in London on walls and bollards, often in different typefaces. I don't know if they are all by the same artist. As this one is sprayed directly onto the street, it has become my favourite.

Bertolt Brecht & The Baroness on Effra Road

Walking in Brixton today I spotted this tile, newly affixed to a lamppost. Please click to enlarge.

What is the crime of the bank robber compared to the crime of founding one?

A very professional piece of street art by The Baroness, aka Carrie Reichardt. 

I don't know whether she placed it here herself or whether somone bought the tile from her and has decided to donate it to the people of Brixton.

You may have seen her PhooLan the Elephant outside the Natural History Museum as part of the Elephant Parade last year.

"Carrie Reichardt along with her partner, co-founded The Treatment Rooms, the UK's only ceramic house of resistance."

There is a lot more information about The Baroness and her work, on the Carrie Reichardt website here.

The Seven Noses of Soho Discovered

After many hours of tramping around Soho and the surrounding area, I have finally managed to locate all the "Seven Noses of Soho".

The Seven Noses of Soho and an Imposter

This could be a life-changing event for me, as the legend has it that anyone able to see all seven will "attain infinite wealth". Obsessive checking of my bank balance suggests that whilst the legend may be true, the effect is certainly not instantaneous.

Until this year I had never heard of the Seven Noses of Soho. As I discovered more of them, spoke to other observers, followed tip-offs and read more about them I became mildly obsessed with seeing them all and separating fact from fiction..

It all started in 1996, when a sculptor, Rick Buckley decorated several London buildings, mostly in Soho, with casts of his nose.The noses are still there, they have their own Facebook group, a film-maker made a short documentary about them and an awful lot of misleading information about them can be found on the net!

Locating all of them has taken quite some time. In addition to the Seven Noses, there is also an eighth nose-like object "The False Nose" and strong rumours of a mysterious ninth, "The Ghost Nose".

If you would like to see them all yourself and learn more about this intriguing bit of London folklore, I offer walking tours and can help you find them too. Please see the "Seven Noses of Soho Walking Tour" tab above for full details.

iPink, Heavy and Unstable in Bedford Square

Taking advantage of the opportunity provided by Open Garden Squares Weekend, I nipped into Bedford Square today and found this.

The concrete block is supported by a lump of wood, beneath it is some pink pigment and this card.

The card reads "*CAUTION - Heavy and Unstable (ipink org) ... (and unpretentious)"

It seemed a curious object to find in the middle of this otherwise prim private garden square. Does anyone know more about it?

Nb. I have checked ipink.org here. The site gives no useful  information at all:

"IPink, Time for your dose of Love. Just a personal site. Might be coming soon, then again, it might be another 2 years before I finally use this. Don't get your hopes up." That is the entire site minus the graphics.

Other sites with "Ipink" in the title are mostly concerned with promoting the use of erotica on IPods and so seem unlikely to be related to the artist of Bedford Square, or have I misunderstood completely?

As Yet, Unconquered - The Invicta Plaza Frog

Yesterday I noticed this small piece of new street art in Southwark.

I 

Just beneath the street sign, is this very well made little golden frog on a tile. I do hope that it fares better than the ill-fated pig of Bourchier Street.

I have no idea who the artist is, if anyone does know, please drop me a line.

Update 8th June 2011:

Thanks to a very helpful comment from Caroline of "Caroline's Miscellany" this frog has now been identified as one of Xylo's Panamanian Golden Frogs. More on Xylo here. If you haven't seen Caroline's Blog before I cannot recommend it too highly, you can read it here.

It reminded me of the two golden frogs on the front of The George on Fleet Street.

The George's other carvings deserve a post on their own, and they will get one, just as soon as I can remember which folder they are in!

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.

Van Gogh's Living Wall in Trafalgar Square

Over 8,000 plants have been planted on a hoarding outside the National Gallery recreating Van Gogh’s Wheatfield with Cyprusses as a living wall.

You can see the original painting inside the National Gallery and the living version will be there until October.

The project is a collaboration between GE and the National Gallery, more details here.

UPDATE: August 2nd 2011 I have found a little film, made by GE, showing the wall being created. Follow this link to the new post. 

Einstein Cycling Along Strand

I know this has been up for a long time now but some of you may not have seen it and I wanted to capture it before it gets even more damaged.

This wonderfully adorned phone box is on the north side of Strand just near the Lyceum pub. The image is taken  from the famous photo of Albert Einstein riding his bike in Santa Barbara, California, on February 18, 1933.

It is so well liked that even BT, the owners of the box, have made no attempt to take it down.

Entry Restrictions Lifted on St Martin's Lane

Okay you have probably seen this already but it still makes me smile every time I nip into the Chandos for a pint of Alpine. No idea who the artist is, more info, as always much appreciated.

Update 31st May 2011 after a kind tip off by the wonderful people at London Remembers I was able to locate this second sign in Regent Square today, see comments below.

Now I have a matching pair, thank you! Does anyone else know of any more?

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.

Fly in the Ointment

Okay, maybe it's because I had just been to see Kendra Haste's wire sculptures and then saw this, that I have been humming the band Wire's classic "I Am The Fly" ever since!

It has been tagged since it was put up, some time ago in a Blackfriars underpass, but it still looks good. The artist's have signed it in the bottom right.

They are "Ella et Pitr, les papiers peintres". Much more on them from their website here.