One of my favourite pieces of street art to be discovered in London are the mushrooms by street artist Christiaan Nagel. The mushrooms are made of foam, fiber glass, stainless steel, and they are painted in bright colours. They can be discovered on the tops of buildings and walls in Shoreditch, London.
The reason I enjoy them is that they seem to "appear" or "pop up" unexpectedly, like a mushroom does. They seem to make the city look natural or organic by bringing a little bit of life into the structure that they 'sprout' from. They are a bit unexpected and make the drab city (wall or building) a colourful, playful, and 'growing' place.
In an interview (1), Nagel states that he choose to create these mushrooms because:
"They're pop-up art, they could be mushroom clouds, they could be psychedelic drugs," he said. "I suppose they tie in with the sub-culture of street art, which is guerrilla art, which is illegal."
For me, this street art is a welcoming sight. (I, like many others, do appreciate the street art that does have an artistic merit and that does not destroy personal property or offend in any way.) I think many more are appreciating street art, and I often see tourists with cameras looking at the street art. I also see or have seen advertised about London walks to see the street art in and around Shoreditch.
1) British artists take to the streets. http://gulfnews.com/news/world/uk/british-artists-take-to-the-streets-1.1014636 [28 April, 2012].
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