Street Art - Brighton Style

Recently I noticed that street art had spread from brash Brighton town to the refined streets of 'Hove Actually' and I thought that, in this post, I would share some of the street art of Brighton.

First, what is graffiti and what is street art?

I suspect this tag is graffiti:

And this is street art:

 Then there is the ubiquitous Cassette Lord, a street artist who transforms the green BT junction boxes into...well, cassettes.

Although he has competition, as this brightly illustrated junction box testifies.

Some of the street art is large, representational and beautifully painted; here's a couple from the city centre.

Right in the city centre, adjoining the Churchill Square Shopping Centre, is this advertising sign for pies parachuting down. Sadly, the last time I looked, the Pie Society shop had closed.

However, the Bluer Dragon Tattoo Shop still seems to be in business, one of many such parlours in the city; Brighton folk love their body art.

Sometimes the art has a political message, as with this one promoting a recent conference in the city.



Some of the street art is spectacular in terms of scale. Entire ends of houses are covered, whole buildings are transformed, bare fences become the artists' canvas.

One recurring theme is 'creatures of the imagination' whether they are from outer space, ancient legends or fertile imaginations...

 

 

Some of my favourites are the swirling 'word art' pieces and the hypnotically-complex and incredibly detailed abstract pieces. Check these out:

(Standing close to it, you can't make out the message; distance lends understanding).

Finally, a mixed selection to conclude. I hope you enjoyed this little introduction to the  the street art of Brighton!

Street Art

The City of Brighton & Hove is a marriage of convenience, the union of dissimilar parties, the uneasy yoking of strangers.

The brash, breezy, kiss-me-quick, hen-party-heaven and day-tripper fantasy town of Brighton with its iconic Pier and Oriental Palace was, in 1997, merged with the elderly and sedate town of  Hove, a place of stately villas, tree-lined avenues, omnipresent pensioners and an air of shabby genteel. Then, in 2001, the quaint Downs village of Portslade, with its solid working class catchment area was added to the mix, shaken, stirred – and presto, we had the City of Brighton & Hove.

Among the many things typically Brighton is its lively street art and graffiti scene – even Bansky painted a mural on the side of the Prince Albert pub in Trafalgar Street, Brighton (which was later removed and sold in America for US$575,000).

In Hove there is a severe shortage of street art. Pensioners with spray cans are not a feature of the area. For those in the know, there are a few select examples in remote parts of Hove e.g. at the junction of Conway and Ethel Streets as shown below.



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So, it amused me to see the beginning of ‘official’ wall art in the centre of Hove.

 

Yes, it can be found in the narrow lane leading from George Street, the main shopping street, to Old St. Andrew’s Church and the Tesco superstore.

 

It’s a little insipid compared to the flamboyant and colourful Brighton examples that often spring up overnight, but I’m assuming it is in its early stages - and we might even merit a visit from Mr Bansky now that we have a street art ‘presence.’