In the spring of 2020, with outdoor exercise limited by covid restrictions, I started cycling around the near deserted streets of London. I began to pay more and more attention to the sculptures and street art I saw and eventually started taking photos. An instagram account gave it ‘legitimacy’ and for a while I roamed the city in search of more and more, revelling in the extent and variety of the artworks on display.

Some works are well known and in prominent places, but others are more obscure and requiried travel to parts of the city I didn’t normally visit.

Along the way I gained a greater sense of just what constitutes ‘public’ space and art, and found that much of the newer formal works seem to be found in only semi-public commercial developments. It was not uncommon to be told by a security guard that I was not allowed to take pictures. Since this tended only to happen when I was wielding a big professional looking camera eventually I adopted a much stealthier compact setup.

Fortunately, ‘official’ art is not the only kind available, and London is well served by a rich and varied street art culture, from old school tagging and ‘Wildstyle’ to more conceptual works. A walk around any of the hipper areas will reveal a riot of colour, images, and marvellously illegible lettering.

The project continues off and on:

https://www.instagram.com/publicartinlondon/