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.
 |
| Add caption |
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.’
No comments:
Post a Comment