I was of a mood to visit my old haunt of Camden Town yesterday morning and after a swift Italian coffee and a train across the city, I was once again reunited with this grubby (but infinitely curious and somewhat endearing) corner of North London. To argue that everything is just as I left it on finishing work there in 2016 would be difficult to prove – especially considering the amount of significant and irrevocably transformative building development projects that have been thrust upon the neighbourhood in the last few years. However, when it comes to my particular interest in the area, little looks to have changed in terms of the street art on display. I must have spent over an hour traipsing around the sites that I remember as being hotbeds for rapidly changing and highly often rousing street art pieces.
In many ways this can be viewed as a victory – it is a near miracle that the surviving works haven’t been defaced by now and some actually look just as arresting and vibrant as when they were first painted.
On the other hand, it could mean that perhaps less artists have an interest in using the streets of Camden Town to showcase their work. If the latter is true – and I hope it is not – I can be grateful at least in having been able to track and chronicle a remarkably creative period in the neighbourhood’s history. I will certainly return to confirm for myself where I already suspect these sorts of developments will lead such a community.
Thankfully,it’s not all gloom. Some recent and impressive contributions have been made to certain quarters of the town and I present the best to you below.
You can now follow my increasingly strange adventures on Instagram here.
Some cool stuff!
Camden is such a great place!