Did I meet a Banksy imitator?

Esther and some of the tour

Pointillism

Lots of statements about London
being too expensive

Done with marker pen

Quaint but cute

Very smart, by Wrdsmith
- think I have seen these in Melbourne

Matched for the street perfectly

Clet, an old favourite

Psychedelic app by Insa

Esther

Invader + Obey

Great pig robbery

Catch up with Tony the fossil guy
at Covent Garden markets

London bopping as I finally say goodbye at
Charing Cross station

Is it morning already? After a big day and night, its a big hard to get out of bed - but it's another day on the tourist trail. So let’s get up and get going. 

As Jane heads out the door, she leaves a warning to stay away from Bond St. Who knows where I will end up, my first port of call today is Shoredtich for a street art tour. We all know my obsession with street art started with a Stik above Phoenix Garden in Soho in 2012, then Invaders, then its just grown and grown. Now with Melbourne, New York and Berlin under my belt its time to go back to Shoreditch and see what’s happening.

My instructions are to meet at the goat statute, this in itself amuses me. So here I am and so is Esther our guide for today. With about 20 others we are off at a pace. Wait - better walk faster. Stickers, not just digital but screen printed, 4 year old bronzes on top of poles and now in Fashion Street. Esther is a art historian and doing for her PhD in street art so she knows her sutff. Explaining the finer points of how traditional techniques have been adapted to the street. The evolution of artists from earlier works, the difference with their gallery pieces. Its all fascinating. I had no idea how much skill was used to control drips, am very impressed with the pointillism piece. 

We keep going and going, down alley ways, up lanes, across roads. I have no idea where we are. Time for a break, whats that a massive 2 metre high invader in the distance, Esther sees me hyperventilating and assures me we will see that after the break. Time for some water, I need it to keep up with this street art marathon. Hope that camera battery lasts with all this photo snapping. Break over lets get up and get going, past a barber’s decorated inside and outside with street art and old men standing around with capes on. Bizarre real life. Now its time to get our phones out for a preloaded app by street artist INSA. Hold it up to the piece and viola, the piece moves around like a kaleidoscope amazing. This is so much fun. Now another piece by INSA. Then cross over and into another lane, who knows where I am glad I am with about 20 people. There are strange cars going by with strange men, all with the windows down playing duff duff music. Add rubbish and graffiti and its a tad scary. Glad I am with 20 other people and Esther knows what she is doing. One of the American ladies comments, I think we have taken a wrong turn and ended up in the gang streets of New York in the 80’s. App out, initialise, validate, ta da, 50 points. Next to an obey mural, then whats that a pig clock that has had all the pigs stolen and a pig wanted poster next to it. Very funny, I love the humour. We turn a corner and we are out of the lane back into ‘normal’ streets of Shoreditch, glad we survived. Now on and on, down more lanes I love 616’s evolution from an electrician in a van going about London doing his work seeing the street art. To starting his own small installations and now doing stencil work. Esther is explaining a lot more about the master and apprentice method of creating the big pieces and how people get to carry the cans and earn the right to participate. Sounds like we are in 16th century Florence. What a worthwhile tour. I saw lots of other ‘street art’ tours during the day - they looked very boring by comparison to this one, trip advisor reviews do work.

Now where in the hell am I and what do I do now? Esther sees me looking lost and sends me over to the Pure Evil gallery and orientates me to where the station is. Cross a road and more street art everywhere, Shoreditch really is the centre of the street art movement. This gallery represents many established and new street artists. In I go photo snapping, the rubbish bins look like an installation. Is it? Who knows. The two guys on their phone below the Audrey portrait make a nice contrast. Can I take your photo with the prints? Ah, NO. And one guy runs off like a scared rabbit and hides in the corner with his face turned away. The other says he is camera shy. I say, no worries and move on. What a weird encounter. Was that Banksy - I don't think so looked to young (I think), was it someone wanted by the police or someone else famous/infamous? Who knows. 

Now I am back on the streets where do I go, what do I do. Where exactly am I - disoriented again. Look there is a guy in an invader t-shirt looking up and snapping. Hiya (the standard London greeting) so I snap the invader we get chatting and now he leading me to another invader around the corner, and then why not and other corner, and have you seen the big one that is one of the first pieces. No. Well come this way. Marcel, my invader friend is a font of knowledge. Next year he wants to go to Tokyo to snap invaders, much to the dismay of his partner. After an enjoyable impromptu tour its time to say goodbye. 

Saturday’s in London as just so alive there is hours more fun to be had. So its on the double decker bus up the top at the front to travel the streets of London. Places to go, people to see, photos to snap. I love London.

Highly recommended: Shoredtitch Street Art tours