Brick Lane can be thought of as the epicentre of Street Art in London. The streets and alleys that run off from Brick Lane are covered in bright, vibrant art works both large and small. The canvas may well be a wall, window ledge, door or shop front shutters. There really is no limit to the possibilities for expression here. By its very nature the art is constantly changing, take a similar walk around the streets in six months time and there will have been significant, noticeable changes. This ephemeral nature of the work is what makes the Street Art scene so interesting.
Brick lane is just a short walk from Liverpool Street station which is served by the Central, Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith & City underground lines. Leave the station via the Bishopsgate exit, turning left onto Bishopsgate. Cross over at the crossing and then turn right onto Brushfield Street. At the end turn right onto Commercial Street. Cross over at the lights and then turn left into Fashion Street. This is where some significant pieces of art can be found. From here you can walk down the street and turn left at the end onto Brick Lane.
Just before Fashion Street meets Brick Lane there is this piece by Jimmy C.
Once on Brick Lane take the first right onto Heneage Street.
Heading back onto Brick Lane and into Seven Stars Yard. There is so much Street Art here it is difficult to know where to begin. Some is better than others but that of course is a personal view.
Exiting back onto Brick Lane again now take the next left onto Fournier Street. There is not much Street Art here but it is a most interesting street with beautifully restored town houses built for merchants in the eighteenth century. At the far end of Fournier Street is the Ten Bells pub which has associations with the Jack the Ripper story.The main piece on Fournier Street is at the Brick Lane end and is by Shok-1, known for his aerosol X-ray art.
Next up is Princelet Street and the Jack the Ripper story is here in an undated context by Otto Schade.
Stix uses his stick figures to illustrate community cohesion in the area.
Hanbury Street has a long association with Street Art. The piece by Belgian artist RoA, known for his huge paintings of wildlife has been on the side of the building for a long time.
At the bottom of Hanbury Street is a huge work by Majid Adin that was completed only recently.
Continue along Brick Lane. The courtyard of the old Truman Brewery is an interesting area but was unfortunately closed off at the time of my visit. At the corner of Pedley Street and Brick Lane is the Kinkao Thai restaurant, the side of which is a huge canvas for street art. The current work occupying the space is by Dan Kitchener.
My walk ended at Grimsby Street but there is much more to explore in the area if time permits.
The London Calling blog is a good website for Street Art in the capital. More about what else Brick Lane has to offer to visitors can be found here