Bartlett Walks: Graffscapes - Spatial Impact and Graffiti Perception

Walking provides a novel perspective on issues, themes and artefacts within the built environment. Bartlett Walks is a series of PhD student led excursions around different corners of London. Covering diverse themes such as graffiti, regeneration and surveillance, the walks all assume different methodological or thematic approaches to the built environment. Come along, explore London, and get to know fellow Bartlett students from other departments.

This walk is a guided exploration of London’s largest open graffiti painting area. We will investigate graffiti as a mediator of spatial perception by looking at Leake Street, a tunnel underneath Waterloo station. Graffiti writing has been tolerated in Leake Street for almost ten years, turning the tunnel into both a training ground and a hall of fame for graffiti writing in the capital. The space is not curated or managed, which facilitates the creation of a rough, wild, apparently chaotic appearance of the space.

Leake Street is located in Zone 1 just behind the London Eye, in an area currently undergoing extensive redevelopment. Although central and prominent, the tunnel lies off the beaten path and many Londoners who have lived here for years have not yet visited Leake Street. With redevelopment set to take place in the tunnel imminently, this is one of the last occasions to visit Leake Street in its current state and acquire an understanding of the complexity and uniqueness of the “graffiti tunnel”.

The walk will question whether graffiti brings a welcome contribution to the environment, or whether the space would appear more approachable without it. We will explore the spatial configuration of the tunnel in relation to the graffiti on its walls, and comment on the impact of these colourful inscriptions on participants’ perception of the space.

The walk will offer an overview of London’s graffiti culture and histories, and examine its role in shaping the form and character of the city.

Students are encouraged to bring a camera and wear outdoor clothing and comfortable shoes. We are going to be in an environment which is safe from rain for most of the time, but you might want to bring a raincoat or umbrella nevertheless.

This walk will be led by Sabina Andron, Bartlett School of Architecture.

To sign up for this event, please register via Eventbrite. Places are limited.