street furniture

Here’s the view from the back of Scootercaffé in Lower Marsh in Waterloo. The wall art depicts a film-maker poised above the guttering. Just visible, a strand of ivy. To the right a bridge. And a road sign for three destinations: Kennington, the Elephant and Brixton. Each has played a part in my life. Kennington is home to Oval Theatre where I performed in plays from my late teens to early 20s. Elephant and Castle is where, as a child, I watched Saturday morning pictures... so many cliff-hangers. Brixton is where I lived for 10 years. And Scootercaffé  is where, just the other day, I enjoyed an excellent cappuccino; something that would have been impossible in my youth. Unless I went to Italy. Which I didn’t. Not then, anyway. 

Oh, and here’s one of the lamps in the café: a converted hair dryer. See below.

Odd couples

Today on Radio Four I heard that H G Wells’ father used to own a shop that sold china and sports equipment. Footballs and porcelain is a pretty daft retail proposition, so too is the offer of teas, coffees, and tennis re-stringing in a shop in the Elephant and Castle. As you can see, this rather sublime venture is now boarded up. A friend tells me there’s a stall on Rye Lane in Peckham selling bras along with brassicas, but I have yet to find it. Must try harder.

Kittens?

I took this photo just as he finished writing the sign. It was taken a few years ago when I was part of a group of artists documenting the changing face of the Elephant and Castle, a project organised by Tate Modern. Ever since I’ve wondered if ‘kittens’ was a code for something else… something more sinister than cute bundles of fur. On the other hand, he did work in a pet shop.