This is not a blog

The last little while I have taken approx. one (1) metric fuck-tonne (phoque-tunn) of photographs! Maybe you will get to see some of them?

It occurred to me the other day that though I have gone into the city to see Hyde or St. James park...I hadn't walked the twenty minutes it takes for me to get to what is my larger local park - Finsbury Park. I'd also had Finsbury on the brain a little bit since watching Cronenburg's new film, Eastern Promises.

The above was almost certainly a political satire sketch being shot since, two seconds after I took this, the flasher opened his jacket to reveal his being nude but for a large cardboard cartoon of Gordon Brown's face over his crotch.

I'd read in more than one source about how the film was supposed to show a different London than what the tourists see, than what generally gets shown in films set in London - particularly ones made by American film makers. Thinking back to Woody Allen's portrayal of London in Match Point, this made pretty curious - especially since I live adjacent to areas where filming took place, such as Hackney and Finsbury (and had spent my first month here living in the former).It was a Cronenburg film about the Russian mafia, so understandably everything was pretty dark. But I would say the film did follow through, with only one or two shots of the Thames and the Gherkin, while the majority of the film felt very authentic. I'd get into the story etc, but you can find plenty about that elsewhere. Suffice to say, for those give a hoot, I thought it was a fairly impressive film that delivered what it promised and succeeded in surprising me where it wanted to. Can't ask for much more than that!
Meanwhile, I'd go on but I'm rather tired from a night on the towne. One thing I don't mind sharing from it was that the first stop for my pals and I was an establishment that had decided to try and work around the anti-smoking bill which was passed several months ago. Why, it wasn't a bar...it was an art gallery that served drinks! Really, it was a hilariously decorated squat with a great bit of graffiti on it's front. I'm glad I got to see it, since disapproving folk have noticed and made some legal noises that will result in it's closure some time not too far down the road. The two spirited folk behind the place plan to just keep having fun while dragging their heels, then moving on to other fun ventures when the law eventually clamps down. I gotta say, I admire their spirit!

Progress or appropriation?

Or gentrification?

Master of Love and Fate!

When I was working in Barbican for a short while this summer, the bus I took to work always passed a Banksy piece I had yet to spot before. I swore a vow on nothing in particular that I'd come back and record it. Today, not wanting to go too far but not wanting to sit at home all day, I did.
This is a most actual story.
It's located roughly here, not far down from from Angel Islington.As you can see, it's had it's share of damage since going up and I'm not entirely sure that pink paint is "canon". Plus some douchebag has slapped his myspace web address on there. I'm all for the impermanence of street art and all but man...a myspace web address?
Just down and to the left a bit was another one of Banksy's pieces...well I think it is. I mean, the ape is his but the bush stencil and the tag for "CARTRAIN" suggest that maybe somebody was aping him? Oh ho ho...Then just to the right of the Banksy piece was this thing, which I rather appreciated if only for it's roots in American pulp fiction covers. I have to wonder if, thanks to Banksy's huge success, his pieces have become like a magnet for other street artists to work on and around in hopes of getting a piece of that. I wouldn't suggest this right away except that the only graffiti I saw in a four block radius was strictly on or beside the Banksy piece and nowhere else. It might also be a preservation issue, since Banksy's works have earned a kind of quasi-immunity to being cleaned up, thanks again to his fame and a not entirely mistaken belief that his works can make neighborhoods more desirable. Augmenting this line of thought even further, two weeks back I noticed in the National Gallery bookstore a guide-map to (supposedly) all of Banksy's works in London.

I didn't even consider buying it. I'll keep the finding of his works in my "unexpected fun" category, rather than make it another checklist to work through. It'd feel too much like using cheat codes in a video game.

This little piggy went to market...

Though where I am now was a pretty good place for a first landing, I'm often thinking about moving somewhere better suited to me and my tastes. Southern Islington, the Angel area, is one place I'm keeping an eye on. Camden is another.
Fun Fact: Though there is a High Street and a High Road in London, there are several roads referred to as "The High Street". This is roughly analgous to the American use of "Main Street", in that it denotes the most popular and densely commerical road in a neighborhood. Holloway Road, near my place, is the high street of northern Islington. Conveniently, where I was today is simply called "Camden High Street".The Camden locks are a defining feature of the area, with plenty of nice places along it where you can grab a drink and a bite. I haven't seen any birds though.
Up a ways, near Chalk Farm station, I was pleased to find another Banksy piece. It's been a bit roughed up but there's still no mistaking what it is. This makes two sightings and I hope to find more...it's fun having this little Easter egg hunt. You can go here on his website to see a clipping about the piece - just click on the image to make it readable.
The Stables Market is one of several dense groupings of permenant and semi-transient shops in the area. I was pleased to find that I felt rather at home here, after years growing up and coming to such as the Landsdown Christmas Craft Show with my parents.
I was most pleased to find a plethora of affordable, interesting clothing here. I just grabbed a polo shirt today, but I'm bound to be finding my way back one of the brown velvet suit jackets I saw going for only fifteen quid.
I've read, heard and seen that Camden is a steadily gentrifying den of youth and artistry. This strikes me as a good place for me to be, compared to North Islington which isn't horrible but isn't particularly outstanding in any regard outside of it being not too far from areas that are. I'd have to get a slightly thicker skin when it comes to some of the more obnoxious expressions of trendiness that you find in a place like Camden (such as "Theme Couples" who wear matching outfits as if to suggest they are part of a band), but I think I could easily cope in favor of the positive ones (like a really interesting rooftop bar/photography gallery I wandered through today). As with so many things, it comes down to the price and the proximity to wherever I'd be working when I moved.

No Brand Quality Goods

So I was fiddling with Statcounter and I figured out how see what cities people are logging in from. Sometimes you get more details - I'm on to you Kate, you were using a work computer for leisure purposes. HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHTS?Hello to my German reader! You were the most unexpected of all.
Work was a dream today as I got to head down to Euston, instead of the usual Barking, for a bit of additional training. This only took up half the day, so I had a potter around Oxford Circus and Soho Square etc, camera in tow. Aside from more pictures to be used in the Clive webcomic project, I got a few which tickled me - maybe they will tickle you? Obsoive.Some nice mural action from Tottenham Court Road.
I know that, technically, this is ugly - but I like it. Heck, it probably plays some role in my being able to access the internet. Praise be to the ugly BT monolith!This is a little side street area behind the tall shopping facades of Oxford Circus. Here I found a little bit of street art which I thought I would take a picture of before the dudes from Boston came to defuse it. Also, several record shops with really old stuff! True story.
Back on Tottenham Court Road I discovered a really neat company whose shop I'm definitely returning to. It's called Muji and they sell a wide assortment of daily living goods from stationary to furniture. I really admire the minimalism, prices and environmental undertones to their stuff. Not to mention that they have some very intelligently designed items, like a cd player/stereo that works like a lamp and biodegradable speakers.

Meanwhile I'm meeting with someone tonight for a mutual sniffing of behinds before, potentially, embarking upon some script work. Wish me luck?

Banksy!

I know at least some of you are already aware of this guy, but since I found some of his work near my place I thought I'd bring him up.
Banksy is arguably the most notorious street artist going, which is saying something given how many there are and how many are focused entirely on gaining widespread recognition. I always admire how he not only manages incredibly daring pieces, like those he did on that wall the Israeli's built so as to destroy any sympathy I might have had left for them and their troubles, but the fact that he shows a great deal of genuine artistic talent and thought in his subversive images.
Though you can find it in his book, I thought I'd post a couple of my own photos of a piece that I discovered just across the street from Archway Station, about five minutes walk from my apartment. I wouldn't say this is his best work, but I do enjoy it.