Why everyone should go on a street art tour.

I have been wanting to do a street art tour for ages, but, as always, the list of things I want to do is about as long as my arm, times 100. Anyway, what are bank holidays for if not to dust off that list, drag a friend along and go see some amazing street art in trendy east London's Shoreditch?

I loved, loved, loved the tour. I learned so much and it felt like I was entering an entire world hidden in plain sight. Our tour guide, Nelly, was a lady who has been photographing artists and getting to know them for the past 4.5 years (her Instagram is here).

Artist - Roa (the bird) only does animals and very well known. It took him a day to put this up. He is so good and respected that, even after the owner of the building offered the other side for other artists, no one took him up on the offer so as not to be compared with Roa - until the break dancing soldier that is, and the artist who did that did get a bit of a backlash.

Nelly was very knowledgeable and had a wealth of information to share. Some of the really interesting things she mentioned were that roughly 80% of the artists have a traditional art background (eg in fine arts or graphic design) and for a lot of them street art is a way to get exposure for galleries to pick them up or companies/brands to work with them.

There are so many unwritten rules about who gets to paint where, who can paint over another artists work and how long they have to wait before they can do it. Nelly also talked about specific pieces and, where known, what they meant. It really was an eye-opener. I'm so intrigued now that I'm itching to try another street art tour and maybe pick up a book on the subject.

Artist: Dale Grimshaw. Protest piece for the West Papua tribe being killed off by the Indonesian government because they have gold on their land.

If you're unconvinced, here are 10 reasons why everyone should go on a street art tour, in no particular order.

1. It's like learning a secret language
2. You see things hidden in plain sight
3. Find out about community gardens that make you say "how'd I not know this was here?!" (None of my photos do the community garden any justice so I haven't included any)
4. It's an open air art gallery showcasing some very talented artists
5. Hear about the unwritten rules and hierarchy of the sub culture
6. It challenges any assumptions, stereotypes, preconceptions and prejudices
7. Learn to identify big name artists other than Banksy and Invader
8. See something that, due to its nature, might disappear the next day
9. It's free! Well tip based if you go with these guys (This is not a sponsored post!)
10. Learn about paste ups, social interventions and the difference between tagging, graffiti and street art.



Social Interventions - where an artist has taken something seen everyday and given it a twist..can you see it in this photo?



This is a paste up, with a twist - The artist is Dr Cream, he designed a series of these, that, when put together, form an animation



Tagging is the bit you see over the woman's face - essentially the street name of an artist. Kind of ugly, and personally, I think it's closer to plain vandalism than anything artistic.



Graffiti - Stylised typography, usually with letters meaning something only to those in the know.



Street Art - My favourite by far, it's anything that is an image and can be easily understood (the first five images in this blog post are also brilliant examples of street art

And just coz I want to...here are some more photos I took during the tour to whet your appetite. I do think there is a place for street art, after all, we are bombarded daily with advertising on the streets, why can't we have a little art instead? What do you think?

Artist: Otto Shada.
Originally from Chile, he was an architect
who turned artist. The galleries rejected his
work but after becoming popular on the streets,
he now has shows everywhere.

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Royal Courts of Justice Tour, London

Beeps, clattering and quiet voices echo as people file through the security screening at the entrance and into the grand hall. It's sandstone walls and mosaic floors illuminated by the large Gothic arched windows.

A sign across from me says "This Grade 1 listed building is one of the largest wonders of Gothic revival architecture in England." 

I feel under dressed and out of place in my grey trousers and black t-shirt while everyone else around me is in suits or formal wear. Oh well, at least I don't stick out too much I think, join my tour group and hand our guide, Brian, a tenner.

I'm in the Royal Courts of Justice in London. They are open to the public to freely go in during the weekday and even sit in on hearings. Also, if you are interested, there is an exhibition of Legal Dress which includes robes, wigs and other paraphernalia. As I'm always on the hunt for different things to do in London, last week I decided to give the courts a try and found it to be such an interesting insight into the legal system.

Source

Whats interesting about the Royal Courts of Justice?

The Royal Courts of Justice were built to merge the number of smaller courts dotted around London. The location was on a site of slums housing 4250 people in only 343 houses.

Some very interesting and public trials have taken place here. For example, Pal McCartney and Heather Mills divorce case was heard here, the Spice Girls were sued for breach of contract. The halls and courts have also seen David Beckham, Jude Law, Sienna Miller, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and JK Rowling. And some very serious judicial reviews take place here like Euthanasia and the right to die.

What to see

The Great Hall
Costume Gallery
Painted Room
Bear Garden (not actually a garden)

Other information about the courts

To find the architect, a competition was held and, a then unknown architect named George Street won but died a year before its completion. His son completed the building. The site is now home to 100 court rooms, 150 judges and over 100 staff. Of the 100 court rooms there are 19 that are original and designed differently to each other. Court room 4 is the largest and the best and where the Lord Chief Justice presides.

Visiting the Royal Courts of Justice

The courts are located on the Strand in central London. Closest tube stations are Temple, Blackfriars, Holborn, Chancery Lane. Opening hours are 9am to 4.30pm. The courts generally sit from 10.30am till 4.30pm with a short adjournment between 1pm and 2pm for lunch on weekdays. You can visit on your own or do a tour. Tours are £10/£12, run at 11am or 2pm and can be booked by emailing Brian on rcjtours@talktalk.net. You will undergo a security check so be prepared. Also note that photography inside is not permitted.

What do you think about seeing something like this when travelling?

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A night out at Londons Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

There is something bewitching about an open air theatre. I settle in to my seat with a rented cushion and warm blanket. Its the last show of the season and I cant wait. I watch as people filter in to take their seats or standing position in the yard surrounding the stage. I hope it doesn't rain, I'm lucky enough to be sheltered but the groundlings (those in the yard) are not and they cannot use an umbrella if it does.

I'm incredibly excited. This has been on my bucket list of things to do in London. Earlier in the day I explored the exhibition and took the tour which held all sorts of interesting tidbits. Then I stood in line hoping someone would cancel last minute and I'd be able to get a seat at the sold out final show for the season. I couldn't believe it when all the people ahead of me turned down the tickets in favour of waiting for yard tickets (yard tickets are only 5 pounds each). Score!

The production was A Midsummer Nights Dream. It was brilliant, funny and, like all Shakespeare's plays, ended with music and dancing. I loved every minute and left with a smile on my lips and a wish to be able to attend another performance soon.

Photo by John Haynes - courtesy of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

Photo by Manuel Harlen - courtesy of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre was built according to methods and materials used during Shakespeare's time so, while not from that era, it holds an authentic charm. I found out (if memory serves me right) that back then, Royalty had special seats behind the stage - which wasn't a great position to see the play from but great to show off in front of the audience. The other interesting thing was that they didn't have tickets back then, you rocked up dropped a coin into a locked box at the first level and if you wanted better seats you dropped another coin at the second level and so on. By the way that's where "box office" comes from, those boxes were then taken to the box office to be opened counted.

Photo by Linda Nylind - courtesy of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

The exhibition showed some of the elaborate costumes used in previous productions and the methods use to make some of the costumes in the upper level. On the ground level you could watch a demonstration of the process involved in wearing a costume, practise your Shakespeare in a recording booth or see a demonstration of the printing process of the time.

Photo by Pawel Libera - courtesy of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

It was a great way to spend the day and while I've seen Shakespeare plays before, both in London and at home in Sydney, there is something much more enjoyable about seeing it in the open air Globe theatre.

Photo by Pawel Libera - courtesy of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

The season opens again in April and some tickets are already sold out so get in quick!

Upcoming season
Exhibition and Tour

*Please note that while some images are courtesy of the Shakespeare's Globe Press library, this is not a sponsored post.

Have you seen a play at the Globe?

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