Admirers of typographic pavement embellishment were surprised and disappointed yesterday afternoon by events on Broughton Street.
A man with a high-pressure hose was busy removing the multiple COFFEEs outside Artisan Roast at No 57.
These have attracted attention towards the award-winning café and bean importer for the last few weeks whilst offering, in many people’s opinion, an unusual and attractive addition to the area’s visual slabscape.
Spurtle made enquiries, and found that the man with the jet was none other than the artist responsible for their initial appearance – Canadian Victor Fraser. (Fraser is also the individual behind a pavement emblem outside McDonald Road fire station, and last year’s huge Celtic compass embellishing the entrance to the Kirkgate Shopping Centre in Leith.)
The Broughton Street screever was, he told us, reluctantly complying with a Council enforcement order giving 28 days for the removal of the design from the protected World Heritage Site and Conservation Area property.
Fraser was not downhearted, however. Whilst obeying the letter of the law, he was very confident indeed that a new design would emerge here within days.
Strangely, no record of such an order is immediately apparent on the City of Edinburgh Planning Portal.
Guerilla art ... shrewd marketing ... or both?
Watch that space.
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Reactions
@theSpurtle and remember the lovely design on the Leith Walk roundabout last year too? @LAHinds said she liked that...
@theSpurtle the design at Picardy Pl is still very clear and when we spoke to Victor last year, he said he had more plans for it this year
@theSpurtle @EdinReporter @LAHinds & how do we serve notice on the council, when it’s responsible for this #fail? pic.twitter.com/0Kb5JgK03r
@greenerleith Hence Embo proverb 'Nor gob in the wallie nor keech in the glais'.
Lesley Hinds
Alan D Rudland