Urban Art

This post is an example of how blogging alters how I explore a new city- I see something interesting from the bus and then I have to figure out how to find it again so I can share them with you. When I first got here I noticed that most of the utility boxes in Halifax are not industrial green or brown in colour. In an attempt to prevent graffiti tags on the boxes, the city instead allowed local artists to paint them and turned them into little pieces of art. You may have noticed one set in the photo I posted of the Nova Scotia Archives (if not, look back at the 26 October entry). Some of them I encountered while out walking, such as this one:

It’s on Robie St. behind the one of the hospitals downtown. I pass it on Saturdays on my walk from the bus stop to Starbucks (I work on Saturdays and the whole experience a bit more civilized by starting my day with knitting and a cup of tea). This is both sides of a box located in Bayer’s Lake, out on the edge of town, near the Home Depot:

But all of my favourites seem to be utility boxes that I see on the bus. This required some planning and an epic Sunday walk a couple of weeks ago to get photos of them. These two boxes are located a few blocks from each other on Joseph Howe Dr and are inspired by Monet paintings:

There is a house behind that second one that has tall, tacky cement columns on it, but in order for me to get those in the shot as well I would have had to stand out in the road with oncoming traffic. So you’ll just have to take my word for it.

My favourite, however, is this abstract design located at the intersection of Quinpool Rd. and Connaught Ave. I usually pass it on my bus ride downtown.

Lovely.