Nouvelles

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Have you ever wandered along a beachfront on holiday or explored a busy city and come across a world of amazing graffiti?

There is something somewhat magical about the hidden treasures you spot on your travels. Art surrounds us every day and graffiti in particular, has a hint of mystery which allows you to create your own impression and story behind the masterpiece. With the unlikely possibility of an artist’s tag or an explanation of the message the artist was hoping to convey, graffiti is an exciting genre of art which brings out the creativity in every passerby.

Some of the most mesmerising graffiti can be found across the globe in even the most unlikely of locations. Every country and city has its own twist on graffiti art, so to give you just a small insight into some of the wonderful creations you may be able to spot. 

New York, USA

First thing’s first, we thought it would be rude not to start with the beloved ‘Big Apple’, exhibiting some of the world’s finest art pieces. Walking through Queens will showcase New York as the city where graffiti was born. There is a vast range of different styles, colours and interpretations that can be constructed from each piece of unique graffiti. Every artist has their own story which they convey through their technicolour glory.

When wandering through the busy streets of NYC, you may recognise many art-filled walls which have starred in some of the most popular movies, programmes and even documentaries. If you’re lucky enough to have a trip to the Big Apple planned this year or are a street art enthusiast.

Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne is a city that is continually growing and that also goes for its graffiti scene. Previously you would not have seen much graffiti around the city; however, in the past decade, there has been an influx in the amount of street art lining the city. Graffiti art has exploded throughout Melbourne, embracing colours and different art forms. The city now holds its own annual stencil festival which is great to go and see.

For those visiting or living in Melbourne, we highly recommend going to see ACDC lane if you haven’t already. Although the name does give away the theme of the creations, there is some breathtaking street art of band members and emblems you will come across! Once you’ve finished exploring the world-famous lane, you can stop off for some delicious street food washed down with themed cocktails!

London, England

London is one of the most fantastic venues for those with a passion for street art. While we may be a little bias as it is our much-loved capital city, no one can deny that it holds a never-ending supply of stunning pieces of eye-catching graffiti work!

As the home of the world-famous street artist Banksy, London has gone down in history across the globe as beginning the evolution of graffiti art. Although Banksy chooses to remain anonymous and the British public still has no information on his true identity, London holds masses of his work, wall displays and capitulation paintwork. Banksy now holds exhibitions around the world in cities such as Milan, Moscow, Toronto, Berlin and many more!

Berlin, Germany

Berlin is a gorgeous city in itself with a lot of history to tell. If you are ever going for a trip and fancy something different for a few hours, you should take a look at some of the fantastic street art the city has to offer.

Although often unrecognised for their fantastic skill in street art, the talented artists of Berlin promote self-expression through their graffiti. Similarly to London, there are many different tours you can take around the city to experience just a snippet of Berlin’s street art. One of the first things you will notice when taking a tour is the signatures. In the German City of Berlin, the artist is just as famous as the art; it has some of the best artists creating some of the most magnificent pieces of art.

Granada, Spain

Just like Berlin, Granada, Spain tends to be less widely known for its street art. It is, however, known for the Moroccan style of architecture.

Street art in Granada began to grow in popularity in the early ’90s, with a considerable portion of the work carried out by the creative El Nino de las Pinturas. El Nino de las Pinturas produces captivating work based on the themes of childhood and adolescence. Basing his work on the template of a human figure, he adds layers of plastic paint to create texture and fill his neighbourhood with art, each highlighting different facial expressions and feelings of those going through trickier stages of their life. Lots of Granada’s mesmerising graffiti can be spotted through a trip down the streets leading from the river and Alhambra. 

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Brazil is a vast growing city that is well known for its favelas, also known as the urban areas located within or on the outskirts of the area. However, it is one of the biggest cities with a range of diversity. Back in 2009, Brazilians prompted the government to decriminalise street art, meaning only artists who did not get consent from the property owner could have legal action taken against them.

Some of the most amazing street art spots can be found in Rio de Janeiro, which is home to the world’s largest mural graffiti in the world. The 560 feet long creation has been given the title by Guinness World Record back in 2016 and was named the legacy of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Completed by the world famous graffiti artist, Eduardo Kobra, the street art took Kobra two months working 12 hours a day to complete. Kobra worked endlessly to ensure that the completion of his record-breaking mural would coincide with the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

You probably think you already know everything you need to know about chocolate.

For instance: The higher the percentage of cacao, the more bitter the chocolate, right? The term “single origin” on the label indicates that the chocolate expresses a particular terroir. And wasn’t the whole bean-to-bar movement started by a couple of bearded guys in Brooklyn?

Americans spend $21 billion on chocolate every year, but just because we eat a lot of it doesn’t mean we know what we’re eating. And misunderstandings at the store can make it especially hard for chocolate lovers to figure out which of the myriad, jauntily wrapped bars crowding the shelves are the best to buy, in terms of both taste and ethics.

The cacao beans (also called cocoa beans) are the seeds that grow inside the pod, surrounded by fleshy, juicy fruit that tastes a little like a mango crossed with a pear that was carrying a lychee. After harvesting, the beans are fermented for up to a week to develop their flavors, and dried.

To make chocolate, the dried beans are roasted, then cracked to separate the outer husks from the inner nibs, which have a nutty, earthy flavor and crunchy texture — and are excellent added to baked goods. The nibs are about half cocoa solids and half cocoa butter.

Chocolate makers grind the nibs into what’s called chocolate liquor, or chocolate paste. This liquor is ground again, along with sugar and other ingredients that might include milk powder to make milk chocolate, lecithin to smooth the texture, or vanilla for flavor. Sometimes extra cocoa butter is mixed in to give creaminess to dark chocolate, or to mellow the flavor of extra-bittersweet chocolates without much added sugar.

The goal of this second grinding, called conching, is to reduce the size of the sugar and cacao particles until they feel like satin on the tongue, a process that can take anywhere from 24 to 72 hours. Then the chocolate is tempered (heated and cooled to specific temperatures) so that it sets with that characteristic glossy look and snappy texture. After that, it’s ready to savor.