Art?

I went to an "unofficial" public art exhibition in Finsbury Park this weekend. Artists had deposited works around the park without permission and then publicised the event on Facebook. I got there early, as was encouraged, so I could see the art before it was confiscated by park authorities. This is one of the pieces and, I confess, I don't get it. An Olympic flag thrown into the bushes where parkgoers normally chuck their rubbish? What can it meeeeaaaan?

Also, the park authorities must have Facebook because I saw them inspecting some of the artworks on my way out of the park, though they had left them in place as of this afternoon.

colorful blobs

Hard at work on the disused railway path that is now the Parkland Walk in north London.

muscly soviet man

Public art designed by the 'People's Artist of the USSR'.

flying horse

A flying horse!

LSE building

Some nice architectural details on a LSE building.

Poppy Appeal

Every year in the week or two leading up to Armistice Day--that's today, the anniversary of the end of World War I--the British Legion organize the 'Poppy Appeal'. Volunteers stand outside tube stops selling little paper poppies for donations of any size and proceeds go to helping veterans. Apparently this is also a thing in Canada, but not in the States. Perhaps that's because the poppy is symbolic of WWI, a conflict which doesn't loom quite so large in the American psyche.

Anyway, this is a shot of a video / slide show that is being projected on a building opposite St Pancras International Station. I bought a paper poppy from the nearby volunteers dressed in WWI uniforms.

Tropical Medicine

I find both the art deco design and the 19th-century name of this University of London college to be quite endearing.

oyster card reader on construction site

A weird bit of art. This is a temporary wall hiding a construction site and the little circle on the outside has been turned into an Oyster card machine -- it's the little thing that we tap our travelcards to whenever we take the tube.

battle of britain

A close-up from the memorial commemorating the Battle of Britain. You can find on Embankment.

bridge art

Public art on a bridge. That's my silhouette!

Rabindranath Tagore

A new sculpture appeared near my university. Can't believe I missed HRH The Prince of Wales unveiling it in July.

sand butterfly

Sunny days spawn creativity.

Queen Mum and Jockey

The Queen Mother and a jockey grace a monument to the former's memory near Buckingham palace.

brand spanking new Banksy

Can't claim credit for this picture, but I didn't have my camera with me when my bus passed this brand new Banksy piece this morning.

It's a mere ten minute walk from my house and I first noticed it on my commute at around 10 AM. By the time I was walking home at 4, it had been featured on a number of London blogs (including Londonist, where I got this image) and there was a small group of onlookers and photographers gathered around it and taking pictures. Very interesting to see the progression of the piece from unknown to a major tourist draw in a mere six hours.

Click the location link below to see exactly where it is.

shoreditch brick art

Interesting public art in Shoreditch.

texting

A slightly cynical view of life, love and travel in the 21st century as depicted in St. Pancras International Station.

mural

Mural in Soho.

Welcome home

This happy couple greets travellers arriving at St. Pancras International Station.

spring cleaning

Even public art needs a bit of spring cleaning now and again.

Made You Look

Sure did.