Photo Essay: London Street Art in Camden Lock

 

The East End of London is more recognized for its street art flair.  However, the industrial town of Camden in north London has proven that it can hold its own.  On a self-guided street art walk, I encountered huge street murals, mixed media using tiles and an original Banksy.  The allure of London’s street art is that it is illegal and irreverent.  The street art developed from the graffiti movement of the 1990′s to using empty walls as full-blown canvases.  Street art is not commissioned or requested, thereby making it illegal.

 

City councils used to cover the art in white paint, only to find another work of art in its place the next morning.  They have since given up.  In fact, street art has led to a recent crop of alternative art tours throughout London. These are walking tours that highlight the neighborhood’s best street art.  It sure beats riding around in a bus around Buckingham Palace listening to a pre-recorded audio tape.  Street artists operate in the cover of the night.  It is quite refreshing to see once black surface that you pass daily covered in art the next morning.  The mystery is what appeals to me, then the emotion.

 

HOW TO GET THERE:

Underground/Tube/Subway (Travelcard Zone 2)  to Camden Town or Chalkfarm Road on the Northern Line

Bus: From London’s city center 24, 27, 29, 31, 135, 168, 214, 253, 274, C2.