Graffiti in Sclater Street

Has there ever been such a hotbed of street art in such diversity, anywhere in the world, as we have here in the neighbourhood now? Around the top of Brick Lane, almost every corner is covered in tags, collages, drawings and paintings in an overwhelming variety of styles. This is the collective unconsciousness of Spitalfields sprayed, drawn, stuck, and painted all over the walls. I wish I could interpret it all and I feel I should be photographing it daily, because overnight masterpieces come and go. There’s a mystery here too, because mostly it seems to appear as if from nowhere. The white hot epicentre is Sclater Street (famous for its exotic bird market a century ago), where I managed to snap these three taggers at work this week in what has become our Sistine Chapel of street art. In future, I shall now be recording special pieces for you as they catch my eye.