Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Hamilton street culture


Here are a few (cellphone-taken) photos of various bits of street art/graffiti/stencilling/vandalism - call it what you will - that I've taken around Hamilton:

Here are some colourful, happy sperm-like creatures. I wonder if "Joy" painted it, or that's just a caption? They were there for quite a few months, but have been painted over now:
DSC00092

They were spray-painted on a (I think) power box on George Street, near O'Neill Street:


View Larger Map

Here's a series, painted on what seem to be old kitchen cupboard doors (some still with the handles). The next morning, there were only three, then they were gone. I wonder if they were taken down by The Man, or are now hanging on someone's wall?
DSC00121

DSC00122

DSC00123

DSC00124

DSC00125

These were hung on the fence that separates the railway line from the River Road carpark, just down the road from the Happy Sperms.

Here's a quite recent one, monochromed (except for the white sheep) on the east side of the River Road bridge over the railway line:
DSC00162

What's going on here? I see a sheep, a sparkly baby, a shaky diamond, a flying saucer, a satellite dish and an androgyne with a party hat.

DSC00163

This scene is here:

View Larger Map

The next three are all on or under the pedestrian overbridge between Wintec and Hamilton Girls' High School (the bridge crosses Tristram Street).

"511" means nothing to me - anyone? Also note the cunning addition of "ME" in Vivid:
DSC00164

I am indeed a slave (to the black man!). Note also the little pen-drawn guy on top of the wall:
DSC00165

There's probably some hidden meaning or joke I don't get in this one. I see an armadillo crossed with a WW1 tank:
DSC00166

The above three are here:

View Larger Map

These last four are all around the stairway between Nisbet Street and Wintec's Ward Street carpark.

A sad panda, who shouldn't be sad, what with his heart-shaped helium balloon:
DSC00167

I'd also be looking happier than he does if this sparkly semi-nude lady was below me:
DSC00168

This . . . thing is towards the bottom of the stairs, on the way down. I know what I think it looks like, but that can't be right. What do you think?
DSC00169

Last of all is one that's been around for (probably) years. It's caused me quite a few double-takes, thinking it's real. The faded sign above the door says "PARTS DEPT."
DSC00170

So, there's that. Show me your favourite bits of street art (sorry, I hate this term, can't think of a better one though).

3 comments:

Haszari said...

Great blog Slag. This stuff really needs to be documented. There's a few around Dunedin I should .. uh oh - no time to get around to writing blog posts alert!

MAN captchas are hard.

notHamilton said...

they've covered the Tate Modern in street art as Banksy has made it huge here. am keen as beans to go
http://www.flickr.com/photos/memake/2531549130/

That'll do said...

I didn't even realise you had posted blogs! I got sick of checking and there being nothing....but then I missed out!
Now that you have a daughter who is reading, you might find seeing swear words printed publicly is annoying. The other day my daughter came up to me and said "Where the bloody hell are you?" and I had to explain why that isn't really acceptable language even though it is on the Listener. I'm pretty sure she is well aware of swearing from the other kids at school but, like me, she is too scared to do it herself.