Finding some new mosaic tile street art in Edgeley, Stockport.
We're big fans of street art and it's always fun spotting new pieces when wandering. Earlier this week we spotted a new piece showing a circle/letter O on the side of The Friary fish & chip shop on Castle Street in Edgeley and on a subsequent walk found the letter R on the Royal Oak pub, so guessed there were more letters that would spell out the word "STOCKPORT"!
Spotting some new mosaic tile street art in Edgeley, Stockport.
We're big fans of street art and it's always fun spotting new pieces when wandering. We noticed a new piece showing a circle/letter O on the side of The Friary fish & chip shop on Castle Street in Edgeley and on a subsequent walk found the letter R on the Royal Oak pub, so guessed there were more letters that would spell out the word "STOCKPORT"!
Mosaic tile street art on Castle Street in Edgeley, Stockport
There are no other markings on the artwork so we don't know who did it, and we're pretty sure they're very recent additions to the fabric of Edgeley as we are round that way pretty much every day and hadn't noticed them before.
They're a very nice touch, so a job well done to the artist or artists behind them.
We enjoy finding and following art trails on our travels and we spotted two while in Southampton. The first was The Mayor's Mayflower Mosaic Trail and the second was the Elephant Parade - the world’s largest art exhibition of decorated elephant statues - where there were 25 elephant statues at the Westquay shopping, dining and entertainment centre.
A look at how minigolf has been used in artistic creations.
We've seen the worlds of art and minigolf combine a number of times over the years.
A relatively new term for this combination is 'artainment' - where art and entertainment mix to immerse visitors to an exhibition, gallery or installation in an interactive experience.
We've seen a number of art trails created in the last couple of years and they are becoming a popular part of 'retailtainment' and 'shoppertainment' where entertainment options have been added to the high street or shopping malls to help attract and retain customers.
Crazy Golf and art.
There is currently an art installation pop-up Crazy Golf course at Coal Drop's Yard in King's Cross, London. It's playable until the 29th March. Club Golf is a combination of sport, art and retail entertainment. Artists Baker & Borowski created the 9-hole themed Crazy Golf layout inspired by the rave culture in the King's Cross area back in the 1980's and 90's.
Club Golf at the Coal Drops Yard shopping and dining area in King's Cross, London
Minigolf is a very visual thing and each course is a work of art in its own right. We love seeing time, effort and thought put into the design of a minigolf hole and when they are aesthetically pleasing it's marvellous.
My favourite miniature golf layouts are Arnold Palmer Putting Courses. They are a design classic and look wonderful. They are also a real test of putting skill and incredibly playable today.
The old Arnold Palmer Putting Course from The Rotunda amusement park in Folkestone was turned into an art installation in the seaside town back in 2008.
Our friends Tom and Robin at A Couple of Putts in the USA have also played on and created a number of art-minigolf holes on their adventures, including Sparkle City Mini Putt in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The team at The Putting Penguin have seen and reviewed a number of art designed courses over the years too.
We're looking forward to seeing where the next art-based minigolf course pops up.
A look at some of the art and and sculpture trails we've followed this year.
This summer we've seen a number of different art and sculpture trails pop-up in Greater Manchester and beyond.
Last year there was the Bee in the City trail in Manchester with 100 big bees and 130 little bees to spot. Some of those are still in situ.
A bee in Didsbury
There was also an ice sculpture trail in Stockport town centre last December and this summer the town has had a very popular frog trail with 22 decorated frogs to spot on the Giant Leap.
A froggy character was part of the Stockport Ice Trail last December
Edgeleap, the Stockport County frog
As fans of tickable lists, wandering and exploring we've enjoyed the different art and sculpture trails we've taken part in.
Earlier this summer the Trafford Centre had a Big Bug Tour and on a recent trip to the Lowry Outlet mall in Media City we saw there was a Bear Hunt.
Meadow grasshopper - number 8 on the Big Bug Tour
Sitting on a sitting Grizzly Bear - number 2 on the Lowry Outlet's Bear Hunt
The latest trail we followed was quite unexpected. On a trip to visit family and friends in Ipswich we noticed an elephant sculpture at the side of the road and soon noticed a lot more of them on the drive to our hotel.
Elephant number 1 - Pip - the first of the elephants we saw
They were part of Elmer's Big Parade Suffolk in aid of St Elizabeth Hospice with 139 placed around Ipswich. In the short time we were in town we managed to find 55 of them.
Nine of the elephants on parade in Ipswich
We've also found quite a few more of the Space Invader pieces of street art by the French artist Invader on our trips to London and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, as well as seeing some reactivated pieces in Manchester city centre.
The seven Invaders in Gateshead
A selection of the Invaders in Manchester
The various trails and maps we've followed have seen us explore new places, see different things and also rediscover parts of towns and cities.
They're a nice way to bring communities together, attract and retain visitors to towns, shopping centres and malls, as well as raising money for good causes.
Do you have a favourite art-trail, or know of others? Do let us know in the comments.
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