Putting the �Street� back into �Street Art�: A Brief Manifesto

Founder of I Know What I like and on the panel of judges for CDG'S inaugural Secret Art Prize, Sabina Andron looks for the little bits that we like in art, not just what we are told to appreciate.

Looking at street art should be about the city and the built environment as much as it is about art itself. We have the wonderful privilege of living in one of the global destinations for street art, which means that we can see the work in situ, and not just on the latest FB post from our favourite street art page. 

 

We have access to the spaces of this art, the opportunity to explore them, and understand what happens to the city once it starts accommodating street art. This is not unique to London in any way, but the street art of our beloved capital can become more than an object of contemplation: it can become a tool for understanding the city itself.

 

What I want to propose is a new way of looking, one that acknowledges and savours not only the fine-tuned permitted Shoreditch murals, but also the places of their reception; not only the street art pieces that can be attributed to particular artists, but also the independent, anonymous marks that accompany them; and not only the pretty bits, but the uglier ones as well – as they share and build common visual territories. 

 

They are all part of what defines London’s urban identity, and are intimately connected to their host surfaces, be they derelict walls or slick store shutters. By occupying a bit of wall, each piece of street art tells a story about that wall.

 

It is a shame to let our explorations of street art, graffiti, street signs, scribbles, marks, tags or inscriptions get polarised by large, attention-grabbing murals. We should be willing to educate ourselves beyond this point, and into a more comprehensive way of looking. 

 

This would include the less visible marks out there, which are as pleasantly surprising and as important in configuring the identity of places as the more visually arresting pieces. 

 

So next time you’re in Shoreditch, don’t let all your attention steer towards the celebrity painted pieces. Some strategic snaps of textured walls and layered inscriptions might do a better job at representing your fascination with London’s urban creative scene. 

 

Thanks Sabina!

 

Read more about how Sabina is putting the street back into street art on her website, or contact her for a walk via I Know What I Like.