Monthly Challenge|TRAVEL|TRAVEL WRITING|WRITING|CREATIVE WRITING

London Street Art Seen From the Saddle of My Ridgeback

The mural on Wolsey Road, Islington, north London

A trompe l’oeil that would be hard to miss even if one were to cycle past it with eyes blindfolded. Carolyne Beale’s two-story-high, surreal masterpiece has haunted me ever since I laid eyes on it many years ago. Its three-dimensional optical illusion dominates the surrounding, usually quiet back roads. Luckily the work is still in pretty good nick, the better to appreciate its fine features.

What grabbed me the first time I saw it was the double staircase. The expansiveness of it makes one forget that the steps are actually painted on a wall. For an area full of typical British-style 1960s council housing (all drab, grey concrete), the artwork is an explosion of colour. The fact that this corner of Islington (on the border with hipster Dalston on the eastern side) is almost devoid of relevant street art makes this crowd-magnet mural stand out more.

Whilst I’ve admired this fine piece of art since northeast London became my stomping grounds years ago, it is only recently that my eyes have landed on the little girl holding the flowers in her hand. It’s not hard to see why. There are usually vehicles parked in front of the child, blocking our view. Despite the innocent-looking dungarees, there’s a Tim Burtonesque touch to the whole set-up. Not full-on Coraline, perhaps, but sinister enough to imagine that those stairs lead to a place we’d rather not visit.

For someone like me, always on the lookout for local stories, and usually doing it on my hybrid, or my Brompton, Globetrotters’ August challenge is like manna from heaven. An opportunity to showcase London’s street art pedigree.

Now, go and read the following stories from fellowGlobetrotters. A fantastic article on Shoreditch, one of my favourite places to hang out in east London, by Erika Burkhlter and a history-focused tour of street art in Buenos Aires by Sara Burdick.