How the arches were looking this week [BuildHollywood]

A MURAL celebrating 50 years of Camden Market has gone up in the Hawley Wharf arches. David Shillinglaw, the artist who created the artwork, in partnership with Buildhollywood, said he was inspired by the five decades of history of the market and his own personal experiences of Camden as a young man.

He said: “Some of the places I used to go to in Camden aren’t there anymore, like the pet shop I used to buy mice in for my snake to eat, next to the Jazz Cafe – which is still there. And there’s institutions like the World’s End pub which I used to go in.”

He added: “There’s an edge to Camden and personally retracing my time in Camden, particularly Primrose Hill and Camden Lock has been great. When I was in Camden I was just thinking about the ghosts of my past, my 14 year old self running away from Camden security guards or as a 21 year old on a date, it was really haunting but also really nice.”

The mural depicts an abstract representation of notable places and people. It took six days to finish.

[BuildHollywood]

Mr Shillinglaw (pictured with his brother Robin) said: “I’m very interested in the idea of psycho-geography, or navigation and location, how we find ourselves and lose ourselves. A sense of overview or bird’s eye view questioning how you see your world. “I did that with Camden and the idea for the mural took on that idea. The blue lines in the mural are based on the streets and canals. Camden is great, there’s madness on every corner.”

He added: “There are still genuine punks on the street drinking special brew. I feel really proud to have completed this.”