I Goat

Post

Subscribe

When I think of the East End of London, I think of the traditional industries, famous areas like Brick Lane and Fashion Street, and the colourful characters and hipsters that proliferate the area. I don't think of goats.

Yet, if you should walk across the road from Liverpool Street station towards Spitalfields Market, the heart of Shoreditch, you will be confronted by one, staring you down from the top of a stack of crates.

This is "", a sculpture made by Kenny Hunter, created to represent the waves of immigration that have entered this area, and made it their home.

Some may wonder how a goat fits into this ultra-cool area - land of nitro coffees and immaculately groomed beards. You have to think all the way back to the origins of Spitalfields Market, the crates on which the goat stands are meant to represent the goods coming in and going out from the area (there have been famous markets in and around this area for centuries, and also various industries - including the production of bricks thanks to the abundance of clay mined from the land of the area - hence the name of the local Brick Lane).

So, for the goat. The artist states that the goat is meant to represent those that have come to settle in the Spitalfields area, and the hardships they have endured. It could also represent the animal market that existed in this area at one time, with goats (and the odd lion) being on sale.

Should you want to make yourself the subject of the goat's gaze, you can get there by crossing over the road from Liverpool Street station via the Bishopsgate exit, and make your way across the road until you get to Brushfield Street, entering the street with the NatWest building on your left. There you will see the goat in all its glory, with the rather wonderful Christ Church Spitalfields in the background.

#art
#places_of_interest
#quirky
#shoreditch
#street_art
#things_to_see
%wnlondon