Subway report

Harry Palmer reports on his first Site of Social Special Interest, the underpass on Bristol Street blogged about here. It’s a long report but well worth reading. I think I finally really get where he’s coming from with this. An excerpt:

In February 2007, I travelled on a new route in the city, cycling from Digbeth to Five Ways in central Birmingham, crossing under a subway at the bottom of Lee Bank near St Luke’s Church on Bristol Street. It was here where I came across the most striking art that I have seen in recent years. On the one side of the wall ran a succession of six large bright and colourful infant school murals (8 ft by 4 ft each approx). Lit up by powerful fluorescent lights, they were simply ‘on exhibit’, a by-product of public passageway illumination. I got off my bike and spent 15 minutes viewing and photographing these fantastic paintings. I was absorbed by the parallels I have had as a very occasional painter and my on-going fascination with anti-authoritarian art making and manifestations.

His second SSSI will be announced soon but I can reveal it’ll be somewhere in Digbeth.