JANUARY 2024 · PATINA
Bristol old city
Bristol, England
The pedestrian alleys off the Old City have been accumulating marks for a long time. Not just the graffiti — though the graffiti is thorough — but the yellow road markings painted onto surfaces that aren't quite roads, the iron shutters bolted to medieval stonework, the grimy layered windowpanes above striped shutters above tagged concrete. Every surface holds evidence of every decision made about it.
In January the natural light is flat and cold, which suits it. The alleys run between brick and stone walls covered in work that ranges from careful to hasty, pink and blue and green and yellow all competing across the same metre of wall. Concentric circles in spray paint next to angular lettering. Cartoon faces with blue eyes next to tags that have been gone over so many times the original colour is unidentifiable. The accumulation is the subject.
The markings make no traffic sense — there are no cars — but someone painted them and they've stayed.
Old City — January 2024
A dark alleyway with yellow double lines receding toward a distant light. The markings make no traffic sense — there are no cars — but someone painted them and they've stayed. Rounded archways framing street art compositions. An arched brick underpass with warm tungsten lighting picking out the geometry of the ceiling: regular light fixtures creating a tunnel perspective, the brick going gold under the incandescent sources.
A bright orange toy head was sitting on the cobblestones. Weathered stone around it, moss in the mortar joints, a piece of debris nearby. The head was placed, not dropped. Someone put it there with some intention that has since departed. It was still there.
The stone and brick alley with ornate tagging, metal shutters, a rounded archway entrance framed by the art on its margins. The underpass with its warm-lit arch receding. A curved metal railing casting sharp shadows onto worn concrete, the geometry of the shadow as deliberate as anything painted on the wall beside it.
I live twenty minutes from here.
Graffitied brick alleyway with vibrant multicoloured street art, yellow pavement markings, and iron shutters at Old City Bristol
Narrow alley with layered graffiti in blue, red, and yellow covering both walls, yellow road markings on pavement
Industrial corrugated metal storefront with weathered striped window shutters above graffiti-tagged concrete base
Close-up of vibrant graffiti with concentric circles and angular lettering in pink, blue, green, and yellow on textured wall
Bright orange toy head resting on weathered stone cobblestones with moss and debris, artistic street placement
Tiered storefront with grimy textured windows, graffitied concrete bands, and coloured tags on lower section, Old City Bristol
Dark atmospheric alleyway lined with graffiti-covered walls, yellow double line road markings receding into distance
Pedestrian alley with multi-coloured graffiti art on both brick walls, black metal gates, and yellow pavement markings
Urban alleyway with weathered brick buildings and saturated graffiti in greens, pinks, and blues, metal gates and doorways
Atmospheric stone and brick alley with ornate graffiti tagging, metal shutters, rounded archway entrance framed by artwork
Deteriorated stone wall with weathered metal security gate and blue chalk mark, layered graffiti paint creating palimpsest texture
Curved metal railing in sharp shadows against worn concrete wall with subtle graffiti, geometric light and shadow composition
Close-up of intricate street art with cartoon-like figures in black, pink, and yellow spray paint on weathered brick wall
Bristol underpass with warm artificial lighting illuminating arched brick ceiling, creating geometric tunnel receding into distance
Graffiti detail shot with bright blue eyeballs and coloured circles overlapping on textured dark surface, artistic street composition
Colourful graffiti-lined pedestrian alley with muted brick walls, yellow road markings, and diffuse natural light
Urban alley with extensive graffiti tags, warm artificial lighting on right wall, atmospheric perspective toward distant light
Brick underpass with warm tungsten lighting, curved arched ceiling with regular light fixtures, architectural tunnel composition