GF's Mysterious art in St.Helier

(Updated Sun 7th Aug - all missing now)

I noticed these appearing around town this weekend, and it has me rather intrigued. It was an enjoyable scavenger hunt to have a good look around to try to find as many as possible. See if you can find any that I've missed!



First I noticed this one, possibly due to the jaunty angle which caught my eye.


(status - missing between Wed 27th July and Sun 31st July)




It was here where a row of buildings are planned to become a major new office complex (privately developed by Le Mas.) - hopefully rescuing the Esplanade car park from its unwanted demise in return for taxpayer funded offices.



This one would probably have faded in the sun quite quickly...

(status - missing, as of Weds 29th June)





.. opposite Tourism Towers.








Another splash of colour...

(status - missing, as of Tues 28th June)









.. not far from the town hall, Seale St.







One by Foot's old HMV mural has been attacked already...

(status - present but damaged, as of Fri 15th July, missing totally Wed 20th July)



.. but just around the corner another lives on. I like the way this photo turned out - decaying paint has such a delightful organic quality :)

(status - missing, as of Fri 1st July)




It's not just walls getting the new adornments, "street furniture" gets it too...

(status - missing, as of Wed 29th June, was on phones cabinet near Pier Road car-park)




.. one of the hardest to spot as it blended in so well with urban notices. Was thought missing, but as of Saturday 2nd July, it was still there but moved onto the wall.

(status - missing, Wed 6th July. Bottom of Pier Road opposite Town Church)




This one was easier to spot - so out of place on a traffic sign!

(status - missing, as of Tues 28th June, was at Seaton Place / Sand St.)






.. closer.










This one made an audacious appearance in the precinct on BhS.


(status - missing, as of Thurs 7th July)





It makes a change from spray paint and permanent marker pens to see genuine art glued to the townscape, I hope they manage to stay in place for a while as it brightens the place up a bit in a whimsical way. I tried prising off the one that was already damaged and it seems to have a good strong glue holding it in place, so they're not going anywhere in a hurry. I wonder if it's part of a promotion for some enterprise (reminds me of the little pink figurines that popped up around the island a few years back when the iQ people launched a shortlived magazine), or simply guerrilla art and GF (?) is Jersey's answer to Banksy? It would be awkward for the artist to own up to it if the property owners are annoyed at the glue damage vandalism!

Update - Tues 28th June - I see Tom has found some more...



At Westmount, on the hairpin bend with a great view.

(status - missing, as of Weds 29th June)






Lower down the hill by St.Helier House...
(I think "GF" must live around here somewhere!)

(status - missing, as of Sat 23rd July)






Near the playground.

(status - missing between Wed 27th July and Sun 31st July)





At Cheapside/Westmount Hill - on a phones cabinet.

(status - noted missing Wednesday 6 July, engineer spotted working on the open cab.)






In the Parade on the hospital...

(status - missing, between Sat 6th Aug and Sun 7th)



And I found some more - I won't say where because it might be inviting theft :)



.. and another in the Parade, side of the photographer's studio shop.

(status - missing, between Wed 27th July and Thu 4th Aug)







On a bin near the take-away in Seaton Place, at corner en-route to Seale St.

(status - noted missing between weekend and Weds 6 July)








On a car-park near a phone box.

(status - missing, between of Sun 31st July and Wed 3rd Aug)




I spotted this one today (Thurs 7th July) on Spar as I drove down Mulcaster St. - I had to go around the block to catch it :)

Roughly a mirror image of an earlier one, odd to see one of these pairs separated.

(status - missing, during daytime Wed 3rd Aug)

Nice to see they're still appearing - even if it's on cheap board and not canvas (like my favourite one now missing).



Spotted this one near West's Ctr., Sat 9th July
Good to see GF has spread his/her wings a bit farther north :)

(status - missing, Mon 11th July)





Spotted this one on the same cabinet as an earlier one in Pier Road on Sat 9th July, by the evening it had gone.

(status - missing as of Sat 9th July)

Not surprised it went so soon, being flimsy cardboard!


Another flimsy cardboard one, surprisingly far north of town, on the boarded up workshop by Gas Place, spotted Sun 10th July. Matches the background so well I've cropped it close.

(status - missing next day, 11th July)




Spotted Mon 11th July on the old JEP building in Charles/Bath St. but I wasn't able to snap it. So I alerted Tom who managed to save it in time, as it was being thrown away!

(status - no longer in place, but in safe hands if GF wants it back!)






We both prefer what was on the back!

Many thanks to Tom for the photos.








Another cardboard one, found on the opticians at Bath St. / Hilgrove St, and photographed by Tom, Mon 11th July.


(status - missing, between Wed 27th July and Fri 5th Aug)





And one more found and photographed by Tom, Monday 11th July. Phone box, near the park again.

(status - missing between Wed 27th July and Sun 31st July)





I found this nice and colourful orange effort up quite high at the Sand St / Seaton Place junction, Tues 12th July.

(status - missing by lunchtime Weds 13th July)






The same day I spotted this one on a phone box in the Parade, probably won't stay around for long.

(status - missing as of Fri 22nd July)







Another from Tom, thanks! On a traffic signals cabinet somewhere along the waterfront by Les Jardins de la Mer

(status - missing in weekdays 18-22nd July)




It seems that they go missing quickly from traffic signs, bins as they're emptied, postboxes during collections, and equipment cabinets when engineers turn up to work there. And houseproud property owners of course! Your best bet is art-friendly wall owners, vacant properties, and phone boxes seem to do fairly well as they don't need all that frequent coin-collection and cleaning. It has certainly opened my eyes to the possibilities, and how long flyers can expect to remain on urban features - at the moment I can't pass roadside equipment cabinets without checking them out!