Sheffield Street Art Walk

We had another week off in July and because we didn't book to go anywhere out of town, we decided to do another walk around Sheffield. Just because you've lived here all your life (that's John) or made the city your home in the last four years (that's me) doesn't mean you know it by heart. There will always be hidden corners that begs to be explored and sometimes, where you don't expect to, you stumble upon some things that are special.

So on Monday morning, after we packed our little lad off to nursery (he loves it there, promise!), we went on our way to the city centre in pursuit of Sheffield's now renowned street art works fronted by international graffiti artists with the names of Phlegm, Kid Acne, Faunagraphic and Rocket01 amongst many others who have made this city their home and its streets their art gallery.

We started off at Howard Street, easily accessible from the train station or from the tram. Here we saw a wall-sized installation of Harry Brearley, the man who discovered stainless steel. The mural was commissioned by Marketing Sheffield and is a work of Faunagraphic to celebrate the centenary of the discovery and to raise awareness of the work that he has done, with its legacy still felt in this day and age.

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Our next stop was the HUBS, Sheffield Hallam University's student union building where a wall has been painted with murals created by its students and to the front is a mural representation of the city complete with the graffiti works of Kid Acne and Phlegm, two of the city's most renowned.
At the back of the HUBS in Charles Street is a wall mural of David Attenborough beside a car park leading to the Science Park, a fitting place for Rocket01's work. It was apparently a commissioned work he undertook for free if he was allowed to choose his own subject.

There is more of Rocket01 and Faunagraphic's work to be seen around this area. We took a coffee break inside Tamper Coffee in Eyre Lane and enjoyed the wall mural by Faunagraphic while sipping a much-needed cup of coffee.

Refreshments done, we walked along the side of the coffee shop, at Brown Lane where we saw a small mural of Neil Armstrong also by Rocket01. Around the area are works of other artists.

The foxy image above is found along Arundel Lane and is a collaboration between Malarky, EMA and Kid Acne. At the bottom of the road, to the left we walked down to take a snap of the work by EMA for Access Space on top of Sidney Street. In the nearby Yorkshire Artspace Society Building, these happy paste-ups can also be seen.
Right across, at the Rutland Arms is a work by Phlegm which he calls 'Spring Sun'. Worth noting the older original coloured work at the back of the building in contrast to the stick thin figures along the wall of Brown Street that is now his signature.

Along Sydney Street we went inside APG Works to take a snap of a collaborative work between EMA, Kid Acne and Phlegm. It was here that we noted how Phlegm has managed to include every part of the space available in his artwork, turning electrical boxes into a castle. It's definitely worth a check!
At Matilda Street, there is an art collaboration in front of the Matilda Tavern by EMA, Kid Acne and Malarky. We also found a couple of stabby women there, a paste-up work and the other a mural by Kid Acne.

Sydney Street used to have other works of Kid Acne and Phlegm but they are now gone, a sad reminder of the shortness of the life of a street art. But there are new things that keep on popping up and the dilapidated building at the back of the old Niche night club is still a street artists' favourite. There will be a separate blog for this.
Opposite the building, on the wall of what was Russell Bros (Limited) is Einstein by Rocket01.
At the intersection between Sylvester Street and Arundel Street is a teary eye wrapped in flora and fauna, a collaboration between Faunagraphic and Rocket01.

The rest of the walk takes up London Road, then back to Eyre Street and then Division Street,which will be posted in separate blogs!