It might seem strange to start the #WorldStreetArt blog posts with a place that only had one piece of street art. Yes, you read that correctly. (Okay, for the sake of completeness, there were two wall paintings in Salisbury… I just couldn’t find the other one, with a map and a flashlight… and directions from a drunk Brit.)
The image looks like it was created in the style of Banksy, but the local art gallery manager said it was not created by the famed artist. If I looked back at my life and experiences, I would have never guessed I would be chatting about a street/avant-garde artistic style with an art gallery owner in a small English village on purpose. I feel as if this was one of those things – on paper – that should have happened after a pint or three and be completely random, like when stumbling around while looking for the loo.
Nope. I chose to walk into the gallery under no duress. There was a painting that had echoes of a flamenco dancer (see “Joe’s Life Goals #034: Take in Flamenco“) image I saw from (another!) street artist in Madrid. It caught my eye, so I walked inside. But I digress… back to the image.
The words “typical English village” should be used to describe Salisbury, but I don’t know if I can really say that since I’ve only been to one. Brick construction, wooden facades, and “old-timey” feel could adequately describe the place. The characteristic that jumped out at me immediately was the lack of graffiti. Yes readers, the lack of spray paint and nudie images on the walls and benches was obvious.
I expected to see walls splayed with crude porno, stick figure villians, and bastardized manga tied together with tagger handles, such as #GTA (Brussels) – no, not Grand Theft Auto – and #Nuke (Amsterdam). Narp.
When I asked the art gallery manager about this, he eluded to the village’s pride in keeping with its aesthetic look and feel. I’m sure he had better, “more British” (wordier) terms to describe the situation – there have been a few pints between that conversational exchange and now, so I’m (badly) paraphrasing here: “Normal graffiti bad, Ye Olde English village not like. We like this one.”
The lone exception (I visited) around the corner from the art gallery was this image of a smiling young girl and what looks to be a film-based camera. Created by an anonymous artist named “#Hendog,” the piece is titled “Smile,” and is positioned on the corner of the former Framemakers on Butcher Row (now housing a thrift store). In 2023, there was a Salisbury Journal interview with the artist about the work.
Why did I waste 500+ words to talk about this piece of street art? It was less about the artwork directly and moreso the lack of other noticeable graffiti in the village (in typically walkable areas). The whole failed exercise of walking around the village looking for street art put a damper on my visit… along with the rain, cold, and [insert typical gripe about Britain here].
After watching “Hot Fuzz,” however, I now understand why the village remains clean and presentable “for the greater good.” Yarp.
If you choose to visit Salisbury sometime, stop by the Costa Coffee on Butcher’s Row and the bakery place nearby that makes delicious cheese pastry puffs. While you’re wiping the grease off your hands and trying not to drop your coffee, you might look up and see the pint-sized Terminator child aiming her Pentax and smiling at you.
Tell me if you see her eyes turn red.
Joseph T. Page II 