Sheffield's Street Art, A Visitor's View

[Sherry Gray 0]

I sent this letter to The Star newspaper, not sure if printed, but here it is for the Sheffield Forum.

 

Dear Sheffield:

 

I’m here in Minnesota in autumn of pandemic world 2020, and the sun leaves early every afternoon, and while it sinks, I open the yoga app on my cell and crank up the spirituals honoring Hare Krishna and the gang, relaxing mind and body from the Worst. Year. Ever.

 

Would you believe that the images that fill my mind are, well, of you, Sheffield?  Sheffield, the city of hills, artists and college students; of brick walls, small fast rivers and ancient metal works.  The town famous for making steel or knives.  A place that rests upon the shoulders of the Peak District, where folks walk to the theatre from the bus stop, lugging day packs and climbing ropes, and where the South Yorkie dialect comes fast and funny, always with a grin, a joke you know you’re missing embedded within. A town that seems at first glance a bit like Pittsburgh, but with way better ales. Way better.

 

And street art.  Sheffield should be famous for street art. It is to me.

 

The reason the Hare Krishna music gives me mental images of Sheffield is because we started doing cell phone yoga when we arrived in the UK last year.  Missing our regular community yoga in Saint Paul, we downloaded the app and practiced in our flat afternoons. Returning home in spring to pandemic lockdowns, we’ve kept up the cell phone yoga, and now I associate that music with your Sheffield, where I first heard that music and first saw your city, now fixed and intertwined in my mind.

 

Hare Krishna and I see Sheffield’s street art.  The pastel industrial scenes of Jo Peel, the pagan faces of Stog, and the corner geometry of Rob Lee.  Bubba 2000’s attempt to hijack your reality zone.  Zoe Genders’ triangles of color, McKee’s rendering of sweet good life, Kid Acne’s warriors, and Marcus Method’s alligator teeth (really, not dragons, alligators).  Alex Ekins’ real folk from really far away (from Sheffield). Florence Blanchard’s big and bold colors. The alternative, perfectly monochromic universe of Phlegm, where I can only look from the outside, never invited quite within.  

 

A bright September day in the year before pandemic and I’m staring at a weird sci-fi/medieval mashup painting on a wall over a garbage-lined stream, partially hidden under vegetation, and fronting a pub that advertises Sunday beef dinners and proclaims in a big sign that one should keep quiet when in love (I think).  Anyway, back to the mashup which is so finely rendered alternative world that I’m fascinated, but sure that I hate it.  I stare more, and, after seeing more pieces around town, I, like everyone else in the world, fall in love with the precise, unique, strange but not-creepy world of Phlegm.  (Thomas Street a year ago: I am staring at the most perfectly fitted-to-a-(triangular-shaped)-building mural I’ve ever seen, mouth open in awe, while a guy on coffee break asks me “What does it mean?”  I think “Who cares?” but I say “Who knows?” and smile, shrug, and move on, knowing I’ll be back looking again, fascinated.)

 

And then I found Street Art Sheffield (.com) and its cool interactive map with descriptions of the artists and I was on a mission to see it all, having the luxury of 6 months in Sheffield with not much to do beyond the basics of keeping life going; hoofing all over town with my camera trying to find each and every piece.  Each and every amazing piece. 

 

I don’t know Andy Carter, the guy who runs StreetArtSheffield.com, but he’s a hero to me as I guess he does this gig as a volunteer (and runs a Facebook version). Does he have a real job?  Because keeping up with the constantly appearing and disappearing art, the news of coming projects (or projects being dismantled), and backgrounds on each piece and its artist seems nearly full-time to me; I certainly kept busy for months retracing his steps (and once, joy of joys!, I found a piece new to him, one of those small triumphs of life, especially as the work, buried behind shrubbery, featured North American scenes, of a sort). 

 

I hope I get back to Sheffield one day when the COVID-19 eases its attacks on humanity (and other mammals) to see what’s new in that ever-changing, never dull rotation of massive free art your city gives the world.  A giant outdoor museum of color and creativity.

 

I miss Sheffield, I miss life before the pandemic, and I miss all that great free public art.  And I can’t visit the Street Art Sheffield page any longer as so much new art has gone up since I left in early March that I’m lamenting what I’m missing.  Artists in Sheffield are keeping busy, the Street Art guy is tracking it all, and I’m here in Minnesota, looking around, and finding a lot of cool street art here too, pieces I didn’t notice before, just in time to witness the incredible flowering of murals and graffiti that grew up here to protest and mourn the death of George Floyd, and to honor his life.  

 

So, thank you, Sheffield, for a great six months, for the fabulous street art (commissioned or not), the cheap buses that run from downtown to the Peak District, the friendliest Cathedral in the UK, and all those endless streets of brick walls, still to be painted.  

 

Sherry Gray

Saint Paul, Minnesota

November 2020

[SFBeca 194]

this is so brilliant!

[Victor Meldrew 33]

Wonderful piece, thankyou Sherry 😎

[MrBump 10]

I love this writing. Thank you for taking so much time to show your appreciation of this great city. 

 

I felt sad that Faunagraphic did not get a mention, my favourite work in the city is often hers. She has been in Bulgaria recently so maybe her work is slipping away from our walls now. Damn this isolation I would not know!

 

I do wonder if your letter is 'Fake News' as I can't believe that someone thinks the bus fare is cheap! ;)

 

 

[Vrev 10]

This is lovely, thanks very much Sherry

[SFBeca 194]

On 29/11/2020 at 08:23, MrBump said:

I love this writing. Thank you for taking so much time to show your appreciation of this great city. 

 

I felt sad that Faunagraphic did not get a mention, my favourite work in the city is often hers. She has been in Bulgaria recently so maybe her work is slipping away from our walls now. Damn this isolation I would not know!

 

I do wonder if your letter is 'Fake News' as I can't believe that someone thinks the bus fare is cheap!

 

 

Now that you mention it, one of my favourite pieces is this one on Charles Street: https://streetartsheffield.com/gallery/charles-street-graffiti 

[Sherry Gray 0]

Lots of great Faunagraphic!  (as a birder, love this work!): https://streetartsheffield.com/artists/faunagraphic

 

[sfrob 0]

What a beautiful post, thank you so much for sharing!  

[SFBeca 194]

 

Spotted some street art - anyone seen this before? Just behind Waitrose near The Beer Engine

[hauxwell 242]

40 minutes ago, SFBeca said:

 

Spotted some street art - anyone seen this before? Just behind Waitrose near The Beer Engine

I like it.  It reminds me a bit of Banksy’s street art.

 

  

[Sherry Gray 0]

Love it!  https://streetartsheffield.com/gallery/spectacled-cat

[Longcol 592]

On 02/12/2020 at 17:22, hauxwell said:

I like it.  It reminds me a bit of Banksy’s street art.

 

  

It reminds me of Lolcats

 

https://icanhas.cheezburger.com/lolcats