Pastures Nuevos: A Banksy Tour Through Bristol...

When I visit a new city for the first time, I immediately like it, or don't like it. It's nothing specifically to do with how much there is to do, what the people are like, what language is spoken there- although I'm sure all of these play a part. I just get a 'gut' feeling about that city; to sound a little pretentious, the city speaks to me in some way.

Bristol was one of those cities. There are not many British cities that I have been to (yet) that have really made me want to live there. London was close to where I grew up- technically my 'home city'- and was an exciting prospect for a few years- but it never reached out to me. Ironically, I feel more at home in London when I am not living there; my last few visits with friends have made me fall in love with the city all over again, after forgetting how wonderful it is back in early 2014.

Over the last 7 years, I have been visiting Bristol sporadically- first Alice, as Jess, Alice and I met monthly in the year following university, then Cat and Alice- and now Cat, Alice and Rach. I somehow never get sick of this city.

That's the gushing out of the way...why am I writing a whole blog post about Bristol? Banksy has to be one of Bristol's most famous exports, as even those who have no clue about street art have heard his name somewhere. Bristolians quite rightly seem to be proud of this artistic rogue, and so when I visited Rach at the end of my summer, I decided I should explore the Banksy creations in his own home city. We even decided to do it in the pouring rain- now that's dedication for you.

So, as the heavens opened above us, and we clung onto our raincoats, we set off on a little Banksy tour, courtesy of the Banksy app. I'd really recommend this to anyone who loves quirky art; somehow seeing it in the rain made the whole experience even more gritty. The fantastic thing about the tour was discovering other street art, especially around hipster-haven Stokes Croft. Somehow, this area seems like what Shoreditch in London- what the whole idea of 'hipster'- should be. Raw and delipidated creativity splattered all over the walls, with no place for 'renovation' or fanciness. I loved it.

Something about seeing street art actually in the street just makes it even more meaningful. The whole art is not just what the composition is, but where- it is all part of the overall meaning, the message that the artist is conveying to the world. They choose their locations carefully- and this makes a street art tour as intriguing and thought-provoking as a modern art gallery.

So, after all that sucking-up, if Bristol City Council or Banksy's PR team, don't put me on their marketing team after this, then I've been robbed. Joking, por supuesto- I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Park Street mural. Those splotches of blue paint were thrown by vandals.

Apparently, the woman's face is based on Banksy's real partner, and the suspicious 'husband' is someone that Banksy works with. The inspiration for the naked man remains unclear.