Stonehenge vs. Street Art

On Wednesday, I paid 8 pounds to walk a circle around historic Stonehenge. Today, I paid 5 pounds as a grateful tip to our guide to walk through the vandalized walls of East London. Although Stonehenge is something I have always wanted to see and experience, I was able to see and learn a lot more walking through the narrow alleys of London. 

Stonehenge is a preserved site that gives us a glimpse of the past. The crazy part is... we don't even know its purpose. Upon entry, our guide said, dramatically, "As you look up at those rocks, think to yourself...." Then, he added matter-of-factly, "Think to yourself 'I don't even know what the hell I'm looking at.'" 

Today, our much cooler guide, shared what it is like to be a street artist in London. We made a giant circle around East London, stopping at small pieces and big pieces, learning about the artists who painted them, how they painted them, and why they painted them. He shared stories of an artist who would paint while dressed up as a construction worker in the middle of the night so he wouldn't get caught. He told us about a 61 year old man who chemically binds his sculptures to the top of light posts. He told us about "Space Invader" who has spread his trademark to over 30 major cities. And he told us about a brilliant artist (accountant by day, street artist by night) who was just sent to jail for 3 years because he was caught painting on the walls. This man's sentence for vandalism is longer than a man who had been sent to prison the same day for child molestation.  

The city decides what art should or shouldn't be painted over. But, as our Aussie guide shared, what if the cavemen had their wall art sensored? We would know hardly anything about our past. This is where I get to linking Stonehenge and the street art together. Stonehenge tells us a lot about our past (even though we don't know its true function, serving us now as just a piece of art) and it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. The street art in London tells us a lot about our present - many of the pieces have cultural, environmental, and political messages - yet the art is looked down upon and punishable by law. 

So where do we draw the line between art and vandalism and who should be responsible for deciding where our culture leaves its mark?

Other highlights:

• Seeing the Roman baths in Bath, England

• Cream tea at The Mad Hatter's Tea Party (Bath, England)

• Having not tea, but cocktails served in teapots, at The Betsy Smith, a fabulously decorated pub in West London

• Throwing up the "O" in front of Stonehenge. Scoducks!