Faces at the Window

Earlier this week I was back in London to see the superb Lichtenstein exhibition at Tate Modern on the Southbank. A huge and impressive show including all his best known work plus some lesser known examples. It closes on 27 May – if you are in the UK, do not miss this.

I followed my familiar route from Charing Cross station: over the Thames to the Royal Festival Hall complex and then a 20 minute walk along the Thames to the massive bulk of Tate Modern (originally Bankside Power Station). There is always something new to see on this walk: constant re-development, seasonal change, and places to re-visit.

Today’s images come from Gabriel’s Wharf – a riverside centre featuring craft and design shops, small restaurants and cafes. It’s one of those features that populate the walk. I’ve visited it in the past but clearly without my ‘Seeing Eye’. How could I have missed the wall!?

Flanking one long side – maybe 30-40 metres long is the old back wall of a large building. Some years ago this was overpainted imaginatively to imitate the façade of a line of buildings with windows of varying styles. The paint is beginning to peel, the colours are muted and fading. Look carefully and at one set of windows you will see a group of people peering out.

A cleverly executed idea, so easily missed. I wonder how many people who visit this precinct glance up and spot this little gem. Certainly not me, previously!

Click that last image to see an enlargement – for a much sharper and clearer view.