Painting the hoarding continues to attract attention and comments from passers-by.
Most people want to know what is going on.
Some think that local businesses have paid for advertising space on the hoarding and that I am writing up slogans, which is an interesting idea.
I always stress the project is a collaboration with the children and play workers at the Charlie Chaplin Adventure Playground. Most people know of the playground, though not all, as some people only work in the area.
One man stopped his bike to tell me he was appalled with TELL A LIE, saying this was a terrible thing for children to read.
A young woman said she liked the work, and asked me to put an apostrophe between the N and T in dont. I could be wrong but I think she was a primary school teacher.
Another man said that the flats being built were luxury flats, and that the Charlie Chaplin playground was going to be knocked down, (this is not true) he simply would not accept that this was not true, and our conversation did not progress, I think he was going to question my ethics believing I was making work for a private housing company, rather than one providing affordable social housing.
Generally the comments have been very supportive of the project, several people have said they have seen the work develop over the past week from travelling past on the bus. One man, when I said the hoarding would be painted over in September – when the NOTHING IS FOREVER exhibition is over at South London Gallery – said he was going to email the local council and the construction company asking them not to cover the writing up, but to let it stand until the building work was completed.
There are still abusive comments shouted out by passing cars, but equally positive comments shouted out too.
My favourite so far, is a small girl who as she walked past called out Mr Painter Man.
Working on such a main road is a noisy experience. Ambulances and police cars constantly rush by. Yesterday a car was stopped by the police yards away from where Lee and I were working. A woman, and a half dressed man got out of the car, a baby’s carry-cot was laid on the pavement. A large white van arrived with half a dozen police, and eventually the man was taken away. One of the policeman came to see what I was doing and he told me that the car was stopped because it showed up as stolen. The man was a known drug dealer. When the carry-cot was searched drugs were found, hidden under the baby.
Two trees were cut down on the building site. We had to move along from the area of the hoarding we were working on – so as to be safe.
