Urban photography in Oiã, 22 January 2023

It was a lovely sunny day today in Oiã, so it was natural to head out for a walk with the Sony Mavica MVC-FD81 and #Nintendo #Gameboy for the #ShittyCamaraChallenge #1990sCameraChallenge. Just some random images around the Zon Industrial de Oiã.

Street photography in Oiã, 23 December 2022

Out in Oiã with the Sony Mavica MVC-FD81 for the #ShittyCamaraChallenge #1990sCameraChallenge. Just some random images around the town of Christmas decorations and the ubiquitous abandoned structures.

Ferias, dia 40. The holiday is over (and a little #urbanphotography), 2 September 2022

It was time to go home. We arrived in Lisbon with plenty of time before the train was due, driving over the famous ponte 25 de Abril. I even had an opportunity for a little #urbanphotography at the Estação Oriente to grab a quick smartphone photo of a view I have had in mind for

Lost Street Art by Dalaiama in the aldeia do Meco, 1 August 2022

Lost Street Art by Dalaiama in the aldeia do Meco, 1 August 2022 I was saddened to discover that one of my favourite pieces of street art in Meco, by the artist Dalaiama had been permanently lost following the destruction of the building on which it had been painted. Thankfully other examples of his work

Praia da Barra, 19 January 2022

Barra is a mixture, on the one hand there is a vibrant town, quiet in January but packed during the hot summer months. On the other side is the sea, a haven for surfers and fishermen  and frequently visited by cargo ships and tankers entering the port. And in the middle is the Praia da

Street photography in Oiã, 21 November 2021

Sunday morning in Oiã, and the streets are deserted.

Street Art in Barra, 12 November 2021

Barra is undergoing a lot of development at the moment, but alongside the new buildings there is always street art from the past. 

Aveiro: The Car Park, 27 October 2021

Driving into Aveiro the main road leads past the salt flats on the left and the nightclub Sal on the right. Turning right towards the city centre, on the immediate right is a small car park built (if that is the right word) on the remains of several demolished houses. Actually, I was never sure

Aveiro: The Underpass, 27 October 2021

Alongside the canal that forms the central attraction of Aveiro is a path that leads to what was Club 8, the go-to nightclub in the city. Now long gone, it’s a nightclub called ‘Sal’ (salt, Aveiro’s premier export) and the buildings around have been largely demolished. The path to Sal leads under the main road

Aveiro: The Overpass, 27 October 2021

Headed off along the railway line today. As well as a lot of commissioned street art, there is also a lot of graffiti to be found on the bridges and a nearby overpass. 

Actors of Urban Change, 27 October 2021

Several years ago, the city of Aveiro initiated Vivacidade, ‘Dressing-Up the City Voids’. The aim was to enable the local community to transform abandoned spaces into useful places. Actors of Urban Change was the team who coordinated and promoted the project’s objectives. This old stencilled wall looks like it’s an advertising hoarding for the campaign,

Artwork by Zooter, 27 October 2021

Tucked away near the park with the sculpture by Luis Queimadela is a small piece by the Portuguese artist Dalila Montero, known as ‘Zooter’. Zooter has been commissioned for various street art projects around Aveiro, and I’m not sure whether this is part of one of these commissions or if this is a personal piece.

Lost Art: The destruction of urban graffiti

It is a given that graffiti and street art is often a transient artform; existing works may be painted over by either the owners of the structure on which the artwork is found, removed (if it is from a well-known artist such as Banksy, or just painted over by another street/graffiti artist. However, as often

Aveiro: The Metal Fence, 13 October 2021

Wherever someone has created a barrier or left a bare wall, graffiti artists or taggers have covered it. Many years ago the building behind this fence was demolished,  and the owners erected a metal fence before the land was redeveloped. However, nothing was ever done and the fence, tagged long ago by some forgotten artist,

Estação de Aveiro, 13 October 2021

Trains have long been a target for tagging, and the station is no exception.

Aveiro: The Alley, 13 October 2021

In the centre of the city there’s an alley that used to be lined with derelict buildings. On one side was a wall of street art from a long-forgotten festival, while on the other the buildings were being renovated. I imagined that since then the art was long gone. But no, it seems to have

Aveiro: The Underpass, 13 October 2021

The road to the Yacht Club passes under the A25, the main road that runs from the coast at Barra all the way to Spain. Underneath the road, an area has been paved over as a car park. Inevitably graffiti artists have left their mark.

Aveiro: The Yacht Club, 13 October 2021

Just outside the city, the Aveiro Yacht Club is a dockyard and marina for boats from Aveiro and beyond. Once a bustling area, the land around the Club is now largely derelict and has become a haven for graffiti artists.

Stencil Street Art in Aveiro, 13 October 2021

Political street art is common in Aveiro, whether these are vintage works from before the turn of the twenty-first century or modern messages about voting in the last general election. It is quite popular in recent years for activists from political parties to prepare stencils of their message and spray these on walls around the

Grafitti and Street Art in Aveiro, 6 October 2021

It’s been a long time since we were last in Aveiro and it was an opportunity to check up on some old favourites and new work.