I always knew you would come back

Wondering through the streets of central Christchurch you can’t go far without coming across amazing street art. I Always Knew You Would Come Back (2015) is one of the biggest. Australian artist Numskull’s bold typography brings Hannah Herchenbach’s words to life. The phrase was the winning entry in a competition and speaks of people’s relationship with the inner city. This wall is part of Canterbury College. In the foreground is the 605 Colombo Street car park. Getting the camera lens close to this puddle of water gave the photograph a nice reflection. Which I think is much more interesting than a gravel carpark.

New Wakefield Street Graffiti Manchester

New Wakefield Street Graffiti Manchester

Living as a student in the centre of Manchester for a few years, I discovered many of the best places for graffiti. One of my favourites is New Wakefield Street just behind Oxford Road Station. Each year there is a music and art festival where the murals get replaced. This is what was here in winter 2013. I have seen and photographed many different works of art on this wall over the past ten years. This piece is a collaboration between Low Bros from the Weird, Dulk and Nicolas Barrome.

New York as a Piece of Street Art

New York as a Piece of Street Art

Wondering around Brooklyn Bridge Park I had my eyes out for good view points of the New York Skyline and Brooklyn Bridge. Essentially I was location scouting for later in the day when I would return with my tripod for some dusk and twilight photographs. In the daytime I try to capture things that might look a little different and this fence was full of interest. Just next to Pier one at the DUMBO ferry terminal the fence features a great poem engraved into the metal from the 19th century poet Walt Whitman. If you look closely you can also see people have locked padlocks to the fence on the left side of this photograph, many of which had notes written or engraved on them. The large sticker on the low right side of the picture serves as a unique focal point. In many ways I agree, Sotheby’s could sell New York as a piece of street art, and I’m in no doubt that it would be the most expensive piece they would ever auction!

Naya Bihana Mural

Naya Bihana Mural

Balmy Alley in the Mission District of San Francisco has some of the best murals and street art that I have seen. The above is a photograph of one of the most iconic murals of the alley. Naya Bihana (A New Dawn) was completed in 2002 by artist Martin Travers. It commemorates the struggle for freedom in Tibet. It is just one of dozens of murals in the Mission district with a political or social message of struggle and empowerment. Obviously, I walked up and down Balmy Alley and other alleys in the district photographing as many as I could. This is one of my favourites.