Watched

“The common idiom "to take to the streets" has been used for years to reflect a diplomatic arena for people to protest, riot, or rebel. Early graffiti writers of the 1960s and 70s co-opted this philosophy as they began to tag their names across the urban landscapes of New York City, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. As graffiti bloomed outward across the U.S., Street Art evolved to encompass any visual art created in public locations, specifically unsanctioned artwork.”
https://www.theartstory.org/movement/street-art/

Over the weekend “Southend City Jam”, supposedly an “epic three day street art festival”, occurred. So, as I was in town, I thought I’d take a look at the results. There are now some very pretty, competently and skilfully created images on and around the High Street and, God knows, Southend High Street needs a bit of prettying up! What was very apparent, and this is something I’ve touched upon in comments before, was that all I saw were “pretty pictures”. As far as I could tell, there was no political or social comment, subversiveness, rebellion, protest or anything else so deeply engrained in the very soul and spirit of street art… just pretty pictures. I guess this sterilisation is to be expected from a council sanctioned event held in council sanctioned spaces but it feels a bit like a catchy pop tune… entertaining for a brief moment but ultimately unsatisfying.

On a brighter note, I can see myself going into Southend a bit more often in the future as the opportunities for candid people photography are bountiful!