Rebellious. Provocative. Powerful. Fantastical. Street art never fails to stop runners in their tracks.
It could be oversized public displays of affection or poignant acts of remembrance. Humorous disobedience or dreamlike interventions. Street art demands attention and a reaction. Even if that’s us Joy Runners snapping away on a self-guided street art running tour.
Some of my most memorable runs have included random encounters with street art. Dreamlike creations bursting into life on the side of buildings, often popping up where least expected.
These wild interventions often carry both deep meaning and a lightness that have the power to transform an otherwise unloved area of a city and make an ordinary run extraordinary.
Collect them as you run and you’ve curated your own open air art gallery. Only one that’s more accessible and less stuffy than the ticketed alternative.
How to run this theme: Street Art
Just as all art is subjective, how you choose to run this week’s theme is up to you.
It could be:
- large scale murals or mosaics
- amusing and unexpected graffiti
- visual puns or plays on words related to running
- urban decorating of boring buildings
- climate change activism
- colourful sports court makeovers
- self-guided street art running tour of your fav artists
- quirky shop window displays
- heartfelt messages of hope
Essentially, any street art that catches your eye or melts your heart.
Remember to post your runs and on Instagram and/or TikTok, tagging in Joy Runs. You can also share how you found this Joy Run theme and how it made you feel in the comments box below.
I’m excited to see where this week’s theme takes you!
Get the next run challenge 💌
- 1 Challenge p/w
- Run your way
- 100% Free
Tips for running to find street art
Try to read between the lines: Why is that artwork there? Why that intervention? What’s it trying to say? How was it created? How are people interacting with it?
Where my self-guided street art running tour took me
Lisbon, Portugal.
Everybody is familiar with the fine art of Lisbon tiles that the city’s buildings proudly wear, however, it’s the giant murals, offbeat sculptures, and colourful geometric patterns of its street art that I love.
Having briefly lived in Lisbon a few years back, it was great to return and coincide my trip with the urban art festival MURO. Leading street arts gather to transform a new neighborhood every year, including high-rise buildings, train stations, hospitals, underground walkways, street furniture, you name it.
As a result the entire city has become a giant outdoor gallery. One with no entry fee or set path. One of my favourite areas to run to is Mouraria, birthplace of fado music. A homage to Severa, the city’s first fado singer (above), decorates Escadinhas de São Cristovão, while the legendary Amália Rodrigues is immortalised on a cobblestone wall in Rua de São Tomé. When so many cities only have statues dedicated to (often questionable) men, it’s wonderful to see somewhere more progressive saluting heroic women.
Gorging on the street art of LX Factory
Another favourite is the long walk from the edgy Cais do Sodre district to street art mecca LX Factory in Alcântara. The route is peppered with works of protest and reimagined uses of unloved structures. LX itself is former textile plant turned creative hub, home to living culture, art and creative commerce. The place is seriously cool and a good pit stop or end point for an after run reward. There’s no doubt, a photo run around Lisbon will leave you clamouring for more storage on your phone.
Practically every neighbourhood in Lisbon has embraced street art, with thought-provoking political statements and portals to a particular time in Lisbon history at their heart.
Occasionally you’ll be lucky enough to see an artist in mid-flight, creating their run-stopping work. Their motion moving you deeply to halt yours.
“Every run is a work of art, a drawing on each day's canvas.”
Even York is embracing street art
Closer to home, it’s good to see my hometown of York finally embracing street art. A global pioneer of ephemeral digital art, I can’t help but feel the city had been cagey about more permanent features. That was until five or so years ago.
Since, the Art Of Protest gallery has been breathing new life into dilapidated alleyways and lesser known streets needing a footfall boost into fun, photogenic artworks giving tourists another reason to pay the areas a visit.
They double-up as a great treasure hunt on self-guided street art running tours too, so thank you!
One final thought...
If you’ve enjoyed this Joy Run theme, consider supporting charities that work with artists to raise awareness of important social justice and environmental issues, such as Street Art For Mankind.
→ Other ‘Running to Wonder‘ themes
2 Responses
Great to be distracted by looking for street art, rather than focusing on how far or what pace I was going. These themes are really starting to help me focus on what’s around me when I run rather than how I’m actually running.
I enjoyed the challenge of trying to find street art on St Mary’s, one of the Isles of Scilly. Please keep the challenges coming!