Urban Flaneur Guidebook

This clip speaks for itself. I liked one of the comments below the clip on YouTube: It's very sad to think that all the people in the film have been dead for a long time, but the buildings remain the same. I have walked these streets hundreds of times during my years in the UK, and I am another shadow that perhaps has been filmed in the rush hour on a typical working day in London town, so in the far away future someone will ponder on the anonimous pedestrians rushing about their business, long, long, long dead

This is a memorial to Oscar Wilde entitled 'A Conversation to Oscar Wilde" shaped like a coffin. It is near Trafalgar Square in London. I happened upon this unique bit of urban art while wandering around this area. For more details on this scupture go to: http://www.icons.org.uk/nom/nominations/wildestatue

This is a fountain in a park in central London. This picture was not taken by me, but one of my friends. I like the submerged aspect of this fountain. Notice that people are sitting around enjoying the sound and the motion of the fountain. Urban art can create an ambiance. You can be certain that the design of the fountain and the surrounding pavement was not by accident as it was planned to be aesthetic. I particulalry like that this fountain is approachable. One of the joys of being an urban flaneur is discovering such places as this.

Another image from my trip to London last summer. This is a statue of Oliver Cromwell in front of Parliment. Urban art gives the city memory of things that happened in its past. Cromwell is thought of as a hero by some and a villian by others. Should he be in front of parliment? I guess it is too late. because there he stands.

Here is an obvious example of urban art found in one of the parks along the Thames in London. This is an Henry Moore sculpture. What does urban art bring to the city? As stated earlier, urban art should bring to the citizen a sense of wonder, controversy, whimsy or beauty. This piece of art fulfills these criteria. While some may not like abstract sculpture, one can not help but notice this piece. Isn't this what art should do? Should not urban art distract a person from their utilitarian journey for a while and cause them to think? In my case as a tourist to London, the scupture enhanced my walk because of it.