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I’m always on the lookout for graffiti and Digbeth did not disappoint. There were no smearcats here. Pascal Wyse defines ‘smearcats’ as posh, pretentious graffiti artists who go to work in parts of town that were previously edgy, but are now swarming with hipster geeks. A big cartoon cock and balls, or a spot of tagging, will no longer do, and walls become daubed with philosophical turdlets such as, ‘Solid configuration of chance events’
My first port o’ call was the back wall of a building site next door to the Custard Factory. I felt a bit shy at first, but then just walked past a couple arguing near the entrance and the huddle of youths smoking weed in the corner. One of the Irish scaffies came down for a chat and told me that they’re gutting the original Bird’s office premises but keeping the facade.
buddha
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Under the arches
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The Grand Union Canal runs behind the warehouses and factories in Digbeth.
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Canal Lock
It’s a lonely, atmospheric place. Many of the factories are still in use and I could hear the clanging and whirring of machinery as I walked past. But it was dead quiet on the outside of the walls. This was the only time I felt a bit nervous on my travels around Digbeth.
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Discarded
This place reminded me of the railroad yard in Charlotte, NC where I photographed boxcar graffiti last summer. Real lonesome and empty, somehow echo-ey even though it was wide open. The feeling of people being around, but just out of sight.
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Grand Union Canal and Buiding Site Graffiti Album
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My last stop was a graffiti covered house at the corner of Andover and Fazely Streets. I don’t know who tagged this building but it was cool to get up close to and see all of the different sections, colours and styles.
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I really liked the far right hand panel which was stenciled Brasilian newspapers and posters flyposted and collaged onto the walls.
Digbeth Graffiti House Album
PS I promise, promise, promise that I will write a post real soon telling how to embed a Picasa slideshow into a WordPress blog. I’m exahusted after doing two of them in one!
After one of my visits to NoDa in Charlotte as I was driving along Tryon back towards downtown, I caught a tantalizing glimpse of graffiti in a trainyard. I parked the car and walked in amongst the trains to photograph graffiti on some boxcars. I wonder where these cars were when they were painted. I wonder how far they have travelled. I wonder who the artist is and if he or she got chased off before they were finished. Who or what is Noir Mylk?
This is a photo sharing format called ‘Slide’. I kind of like the vintage photo album format. You, the viewer, can click on ‘View all images’ to have a look at the photos in a format that you can control. This is especially for you Jenny!
I went to an area of Charlotte last Sunday called NoDa (North Davidson) to have a look around. Its sort of Charlotte’s answer to SoHo. A crossroads with some art galleries, restaurants, alternative cinema and a music venue – The Evening Muse. A pretty cool little area. I walked up Davidson Street towards a semi-defunct one story industrial area and this is what I saw. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sneakers
Here today, gone tomorrow
Since I’ve been in the Charlotte area, so many people have told me that the prevailing mindset is ‘Knock ‘em down and re-build’. I took photos of the graffiti-ridden building above which I posted on ‘Magic Markers’ on Sunday. Its a darn good thing that I did, because I went out for dinner and to the Evening Muse four days later and the building had been leveled!
Note to myself: Always have my camera with me and make the time to record what catches my eye.
Graffiti art from the Southbank in London:
New palette
. . . . . . . . . and NoDa, Charlotte, North Carolina
A strange popsicle
