London street art: Choosing locations for Urban ArtVenturing
My Urban ArtVenturing project is a mixed media series featuring unique places around London. I invited 10 people to commission me to draw a location that meant something important to them. The stories I heard, the new people I met, and the off-beaten paths I explored made this an incredibly rewarding project that I would love to repeat!
I developed my street art by following this process:
1. Looking at my city through new eyes
So, I started my Urban ArtVenturing project because I realized that when I was living in London, I always followed the same routes. I would only cycle between home and work or home and social activities, but there was so much of London that I just didn't know.
I wanted to explore London through other peoples’ eyes and get an entirely new sense of the city. There are millions of people living in totally different ways, with an “urban fabric” interwoven through their many stories. That's one element I find so fascinating about places with a deep concentration of people.
But when you're traveling on the underground, the city feels so disconnected. I moved through those veins of travel but never ventured far from those paths. During this project, I learned so many back streets and realized it's such a huge city. I loved cycling everywhere because it helped me connect to each spot I drew.
2. Listening to unique stories
I asked each person who commissioned me to tell me a story about the place they’d chosen and why it was meaningful to them. I actually met most of the people at the location and they told me the story, often very personal, of why the place was so poignant for them.
As they spoke, I would note elements of their story that I was drawn to - maybe landmarks or objects that they pointed out. Then I would return another time, sit there, and craft a drawing inspired by their story. It felt like a special way to get to know certain places, but also to get to know a little bit about the lives of the people who’d commissioned me.
As an example, one of my art pieces was based in Canada Water, so South London, just by the Thames. There's a lot of new housing there now, built in the 80s, but it used to feature big warehouses. The lady who commissioned me to complete a drawing from her back garden told me a story of one of her neighbors who was a kid during the war.
There was a sugar warehouse that got bombed, so one day there were rivers of caramel running through the streets. Her neighbor remembered how all the children were going absolutely nuts, and how delicious the caramel tasted all melted. These are the kinds of stories I got to hear because of doing this project, and that's what made it super special!
We had soldiers helping us. We had random shopkeepers giving us free pizzas. We had a Lebanese family who basically gave us refuge for the night when our car had broken down. This constant generosity in everything is one of my biggest memories of Lebanon.
3. Inviting in nature and human connections
It stood out to me that a majority of the places were near water - either along canals or along the Thames. People seemed drawn to water, perhaps because of the essence of water itself, or because the areas were able to support more nature.
I stupidly decided to do this project in February, so the biggest challenge for me was the weather. I completed the project in a week or two. It was an incredibly cold part of the year, and I really struggled to stay warm. I'd cycle there with my little Brompton and all my art materials on me. Sometimes I’d have a hot water bottle with me and a thermos with some hot water or tea to drink. But there were days when my fingers just weren't working as I wanted them to because they were so cold.
It was still rewarding being outside, no matter where, and having a reason and an opportunity to sit and observe a part of the city I didn't know - quite often near wildlife and nature. I also loved the kinds of conversations I had with people. People would stop and have a chat as I sat outside creating - forming these connections was beautiful.
I loved seeing how they honoured tradition and family values, eating as a family. They believe and show how food brings people together.
4. Taking inspiration from explorers
I wasn’t actually influenced by any specific London street art, as I'm more inspired by the element of adventure. I chose street art because I wanted to discover new places through other people's eyes. I'm drawn to the storytelling and exploration aspects of street art, rather than its elements of style.
There are some female explorers and artists, including Marianne North, who I really admire because of their drive to see and learn about new places. They drew to record their discoveries, as much as for the sake of beauty. North’s work features botanical, not urban, subjects, but I draw both and apply the same adventurous spirit to each!
To find artwork inspired by my exposure to new lands, you can visit www.anne-laurecarruth.com
5. Rethinking my steps for the future
This would be a beautiful project to do here in Edinburgh, but I would definitely choose a different time of year! I invited people to commission me for my first series, but I don't think I charged enough for the time it took me to do the work. So, I think ideally, I'd love to partner up with a hotel or some other kind of establishment where I can complete a series of drawings for a fairer commission price.
What places are precious to you? Reach out and tell me a story! I’d love to see the unique beauty of our world through your eyes. And if you’d like to see London through my eyes, and the eyes of its many inhabitants, I invite you to view the full Urban ArtVenturing series here.