Here’s a first, I think 🤔

🤳🏽 Out & about in a #highstreet location and got back with just one picture of a vacant unit in my phone library.

…and it’s not that there weren’t any others.

🎨 It was just that in Bedminster, Bristol our #placemaking attention was totally taken with the number and variety and quality of #streetart and #shutterart examples.

…which sparked 4 thoughts:

• Did they help to create the important impression that the place cares, which makes such a difference…?
• In a very practical sense the #art on lowered shutters meant you could not tell whether the unit was vacant or just not yet open. Compare that to seeing a run of blank shutters…?

🖌️ There was a lot of tagging. Typically in a town or city centre that’s seen as graffiti, anti-social behaviour. Here it blended in – at least to the visitor – and could just have been a signature on the artwork.

• And on ‘promote’ – there looks to be enough to catalogue and create a trail by map & app to bring people here just to enjoy the creativity. An added and valuable draw to benefit it’s businesses.

For council and BID colleagues thinking to add to the wall art in their places and initiate a project where they have a run of blank shutters, there’s learning for sure.

📸 Here’s just a few of scores of examples. Thanks Jason Thorne for an insightful tour.

TheVacantShopsAcademy