Arcadia England
Street Art as Protest - Recap
Date
October 20, 2015
Nathan Bowen in discussion with Dr Richard Maguire
Last night, around twenty of us were packed tight in a cozy room on the first floor of a traditional London pub. The reason? It was Talk of the Town! night, and we were treated to a dynamic discussion with renowned street artist, Nathan Bowen.
Our very own Dr Richard Maguire led proceedings, kicking off the event with questions to Nathan about his beginnings as an artist. Nathan talked about how his sketchbook scribbles became graffiti, and how that graffiti became street art. He spoke about his reasoning for wanting to focus on street art, rather than having his art displayed in galleries; ultimately, street art is pure expression. It is not about fame or about putting a price upon the art in question; it is simply about putting your message out into the world to be consumed for no reason other than the message itself.
Questions were then encouraged from the students gathered and conversation turned towards the differences in how street art is viewed in London, compared to cities in the US (San Francisco was brought up more than once). It was interesting to hear about how London’s opinion of Street Art has changed in the last decade or so. When Nathan was starting out as a street artist, the idea of organised ‘Street Art’ tours in Shoreditch would have been ludicrous. Now? It is an everyday occurrence.
A particular highlight was when Nathan talked about why he thinks of art as an afterlife. The idea is that everything around us lives, dies, and can then be reincarnated. It was inspiring to hear him talk about how he can see any old or broken object, and he can give it a new life, through art, by making it into something new.
It was a fantastic event and a highlight of the semester for all that attended. What was the greatest takeaway from this event for you?
And if you weren’t there – keep an eye out for upcoming information, on the Facebook group and in the London centre, regarding the third and final Talk of the Town! event. You don’t want to miss it.