I know that the World Cup is over. I have so many photographs and posts to post that I forgot about these lurking, and I still wanted to share them, even though England went out early (which is not a surprise) and the games have been over for a month now. I previously mentioned street artist Cranio's World Cup mural (Cranio's Mural on Great Eastern Street), which did not last long. He was not the only one to be influenced by the games. Artists Martin Ron (New Mural by Martin Ron on Hanbury Street and Martin Ron's 'Badgergate' Mural) and ALSO were also inspired by it.
Martin Ron painted a brightly-coloured crowd of chanting or shocked apes. They look like they are watching the game, their expressions watching the same direction in awe or shock, clutching the blanket underneath them. The colours mimic the colourful flags of the teams. The artwork does not claim to be inspired by the games, but it turned up at the same time as them and reminds me of a group of people watching them. It is located in the outside bar area in Ely's Yard.
On Hanbury Street, the building that hosted the pop-up drinks (Lucky Juice) this spring also hosted a World Cup social media tie-in. This included several thousands of small green, yellow, and blue ribbons that were restocked each day, each with their own message related to the World Cup. Visitors are encouraged to take one ribbon. The ribbons are printed with World Cup social media posts. I took one that said "I wish I was a WAG". The definition of a WAG is "wives and girlfriends" and it's always related to girls who are dating sports/football players. (Actually, I don't really wish I was a WAG of course.)
According to some information on the wall next to the ribbons, they are good luck charms and each measures 47cm, the length of Christ's arms in a small church of Senhor Do Bonfim. The poster informs takers of the ribbons to tie the ribbon around your wrist in three knots, and when the ribbon falls off, the wish comes true.
And last but not least, this scene of a boy playing football (or soccer if you are American) while a woman chases after him appeared just off of Brick Lane. The painting is by ALSO.
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