Shoreditch Street Art, London

It would be wonderful to think that the artists who ply their work on the streets might act as an inspiration, so that the mindless scrawl that you might find in places like Tottenham, will one day be replaced by urban masterpieces. But that would be to ignore the political economy which underpins this work. The guys who produce this stuff are educated, linked in, global, skilled up artists. Their work might be street, and not all of them might be loaded, but they are part of the scene. So let’s not over romanticise this. This isn’t the working classes getting streetwise and looking for a way to make life better for everyone. Whilst much of the work is iconoclastic and challenging, this open air art gallery is a playground for middle class adults.

SOCIAL SPACES

Peckham Library

At the beginning of the 1990s it was decided that Peckham was a dump that needed a bit of regeneration. A budget of 265 million pounds and a seven year programme was created to regenerate the area in which the library now stands.

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SOCIAL COMMENT

The Charm Offensive - The Art of Bullying

A guy much bigger than you, comes up to you, intimidating you, working at a subconscious level, his body language and posture tells you I am in control, I am in charge, and just you wait and see what this body will do to yours if you object, and yet he is all smiles and happiness, happy comments, and your natural sense of intimidated self, you feel that it would perhaps be in your best interests, or at least you hope it would be in your best interests to submit to his emotional demands.

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PHOTOGRAPHY

Autumn Hits Hyde Park 2007

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Hey there, take a minute out and smell the roses:

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