Out of the Galleries into the Streets

Rediscovering London's oft ignored al fresco art

Having claimed a level of expertise far beyond my actual knowledge, I’ve been asked to write a piece about London’s outdoor art for a guidebook. The article is clearly going to be a disaster, unless one of the artsy friends I’ve e-mailed comes up trumps and does my work for me, but I’ve noticed all sorts of fascinating things in the meantime.

Statues, sculptures, memorials and graffiti are so ubiquitous in London that one completely ceases to notice them, but writing this piece has suddenly given me a tourist’s eye. Hitting the sales on Friday, I actually noticed Piccadilly Circus’ Eros for the first time in years – he’s quite a sexy little thing, if you’re not bothered by the wings. Not only that, but I also spotted that the rather bland Tower Records has four full-size horses leaping out of a fountain! I’d never noticed before, in spite of the fact I’d probably walked past them 1000 times.

And once your eyes are open, it’s amazing what jumps out of this great city. Pop into the courtyard of Burlington House just off Piccadilly and you’ll see a towering Damien Hirst masterpiece. And, ever wondered about those strange ruined statues on the second floor of that big embassy on the Strand? No, me neither, until the other day, when I actually noticed them for the first time. They’re by Jakob Epstein, the father of modernist sculpture, and would make this building a particular treasure if a morally outraged Evening Standard hadn’t clamoured for the censors’ chisels to cut their manhoods down to size.

For something a bit more de la mode, jump on the tube to Gloucester Road. On the eastbound platform you’ll find a contemporary art gallery ready for your perusal as you await your train. Or head out east to Old Street – the walls are like the cover of your old school books – written on over and over again. Here art meshes with defiant slogans, stencils, flyers and tags. On some streets in the East End it seems like every second building is being used by artists, and the open spaces are full of fascinating debris and attention-seeking performance artists.

In a place like London with so much sensory stimulation – noise, smells, sights, sounds and seas of people all around you – it’s only natural to block a lot of it out. But if you sit back and take stock, maybe try walking to the Tube at a normal pace, rather than rushing along whilst simultaneously talking on your mobile and eating a sandwich, you might just see something extraordinary.

Hawky the Pigeon Slayer

A hawk has been hired to “scare” pigeons away from Trafalgar Square. Under the careful watch of a pest-control firm, the predator’s job is to fly and frighten the feathered rodents. The bird of prey, however, has been doing his job a little too well – 14 pigeons have been killed in his clutches since the beginning of the year.

Super Cabbie Bros

London is set to get its own computer game. ‘London Taxi Rush Hour’ will require the player to ferry passengers around London, dropping them off at certain attractions, within a defined time limit. Traffic jams, road works, difficult customers (students, OAPS, drunkards) will be peppered throughout the route.

Court Takes Its Final Bow

The case has been dismissed for the historic Bow Street Magistrates’ Court, which closed for good this month following plans to convert it into a hotel. Over the course of its 270 years of service the court’s dock has accommodated defendants Oscar Wilde, Dr Crippen, suffragettes Christabel and Emmeline Pankhurst, and Lord Jeffrey Archer.

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