Streetart Monday

Been meaning for ages to post up a photo of some of the wonderful street art springing up in my neck of the woods.

I walk past this giant painted chaffinch, by the artist Mark Wydler, most days on the way to my nearest decent-sized dog-walking park, and it always puts a spring in my step.

The area in south London that I live in – between bustling Brixton and Camberwell – has its issues. A bit of an in-between place it has, over the years, been a bit of a no-man's land. When I first moved to the area, over 15 years ago, it was the sort of place you walked after dark with extreme trepidation.

One of the things that has had a positive impact in recent years, is an incredibly cool local organisation called the Loughborough Junction Action Group (LJAG). They are demon neighbourhood improvers – not in a "let's open an expensive shop/restaurant/gastropub" kind of a way, but in a proper, community building kind of a way.

Every time something good happens – like the opening of the community farm whose gates the chaffinch adorns – or a project with a local bike company, training up young people to be cycle mechanics, or the great photography exhibition with photographer and LJAGer, Conor Masterson, that ran a few years back, featuring portraits of local people exhibited on various walls around the area, they're generally involved.

A bit further along on my walk to the park, I go under the railway bridge pictured above, which has also recently had the LJAG treatment. Part of the 7 Bridges Project, so called because the area is the intersection of a number of railway bridges, it has transformed this walkway into a prehistoric themed collage of mosaics. It has been created by artists in collaboration with children from local schools.

These photos were taken late last year, when the project – an ongoing one – was a little less close to completion. You can see photos of how it's looking now at the Loughborough Junction Action Group website.

I think this insane Ken and Barbie mash-up is my favourite. Reminds me of the work of mosaic artist and tiny museum curator, Stephen Wright. Not sure how it fits with the pre-historic theme, but I like it. Since the photo was taken though, sadly someone has made off with Ken's body. 

Do you have any inspiring local street art in your area? Do drop me a line and some photos if you'd like to share it, at kate@yourhomeislovely.com 

In case you want to know more, I've posted a film about how LJAG started – following the stabbing of one of the founders' neighbours – and the flyer (which I love) for their inaugural photography project, below.

Post by Kate