When I was on the bus coming back from my Wandsworth and Fulham walk on Sunday, it passed through South Kilburn, an area where for years now the local government has been tearing down and rebuilding huge swathes of public housing. I've photographed this area before, but I saw that some of the old buildings were still standing and were covered with colorful graffiti. I thought I'd take another look.
So yesterday, on my lunch hour, I walked over from work -- about a mile away. It was a good day for a walk -- clear and chilly but not unpleasant, with stark light and shadow.
The graffiti was pretty interesting. The message on the wall says, "Where I grew up it was crazy. Them tower blocks raised me..."
The cat faces are by a graffiti writer named Abotz. It must be strange for people who grew up here to see their buildings in such a dismal state.
The plaza surrounded by small apartment buildings is called Exeter Court, and the tall building behind the plywood above is Hereford House. The council has a web site that outlines all the regeneration plans, and it says this area is due to have 247 homes (106 of them "social homes," which I assume means public housing), as well as a park and retail space, all by 2026.
Here's more Abotz: "South Kilburn, the end of an era..."
A graffiti writer called Selfiee seems fond of dinosaurs.
After wandering around the estate a bit, I walked up to the Kilburn High Road and took some pictures there before making my way back to work. No doubt you'll see those photos in coming days.
Think of the people who were living in these...how many were in social housing then?
ReplyDeleteWhere are they now?
And why are so few of the new houses social housing?
On the positive side, look at those inspired to create graffiti art, not just tags.
This reminds me of a visit my father made in the ‘70s to his old neighborhood before it was completely razed. A sad trip home for him and no graffiti art.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting excursion. I like the stack of satellite dishes reaching up to heaven for a god who is forever absent or permanently disinterested. The council are cutting it fine if they expect to have the housing project finished in 2026
ReplyDeleteI'm always amazed at the amount of graffiti in your photos. I'm either blind, it doesn't exist out here in rural America or I'm not trying hard enough to find some. One of these days, I'm going to have to go on a walk downtown specifically looking for graffiti.
ReplyDeleteSuch sadness in those buildings that once held so much life.
ReplyDeletecatz and ratz by Abotz.
ReplyDeleteSome graffiti artists are so talented. My son and I like to watch the graffiti that goes by when a freight train passes and we are sitting at a railroad crossing.
ReplyDeleteI see no graffiti in my small rural MA town. It would probably be viewed as defacing a building and illegal. Ideally, the graffiti artists are working toward being professional artists. The housing projects scheduled for demolition look sad. Hopefully, the new construction will be greatly improved.
ReplyDeleteThat is a lot of graffiti. It would feel strange to see a place where you lived looking like this. It would stir some emotions for sure. So far, all the places I've lived in the past are still standing. However, two places I worked in the past have been torn down and replaced.
ReplyDeleteI've found a couple of your posts that never showed up on my feed. Not ignoring you!
ReplyDeleteI do like your finding graffiti all over. Mostly it's very good art, at least what you're choosing for photos.
I realize graffiti, as opposed to sanctioned street art, is probably considered vandalism, but I still find it fascinating. I like that last one of the dinosaur!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure graffiti is far more common in a large city or maybe in some neighborhoods more than others and when it is lovely it can add. But so much of it is painting over painting over painting and no one can see it at all. I really see very little -- if any -- here in Lansing. Maybe I don't hang out in the right places. We do have murals but I rarely see them defaced.
ReplyDeleteLots of (too much) graffiti around here these days. It's hard to believe all that will be finished by 2026. Or will it be in process then?
ReplyDeleteI don't find graffiti to be art, I think it's desecration.
ReplyDeleteWe have a suburb called Kilburn, it has many public housing buildings and is currently populated by gangs of violent people who came from another country. When my son and his family were living there, about ten years ago, the kids were afraid to walk to school so just didn't go for weeks. A Housing Officer got them moved out once she heard about that.
ReplyDeleteYour graffitied area looks interesting, all the colourful art work. I hope when the new buldings go up there is enough public housing included, there are so many homeless these days.