See No Evil is a collection of works of public art by multiple graffiti artists, located around Nelson Street in Bristol, UK.
"[10] The event was coordinated by Inkie, along with Mike Bennett - Bristol City Council, Bristol based music promoter Team Love (made up of music producers Dave Harvey and Tom Payne) and Sam Brandt, director of Weapon of Choice Gallery.
[1][13] The organizers spent a year planning the project, with full support from the street's residents, businesses and building owners.
[16] "Bristol's Nelson Street was nothing but empty shells of grey buildings built by tasteless architects that stank of piss,"[17] a nondescript corridor of bleak, grey buildings between Broadmead and Colston Square in the city centre[18] "It needs something big development-wise.... with the economy as it is, the prospect of any serious development here in the next five years is almost nonexistent."
[15] The irony of Inkie being invited to paint the very courts he was sentenced in after Operation Anderson years before, as the ringleader of 75 plus artists in the UK's largest graffiti-related arrest,[21][22][23] was not lost.
[32] Other Artists included: Kid Acne, Swanski, Ben Slow, Best Ever, Bonzai, Cosmo Sarsen, Dicey, Feek, GMC, Hit + Run, Maumau, Mr Wany, Mysterious Al, Pinky, Ponk, SEPR, Wow 123, Xenz, Zeus, Solo One, and Goldie A 16-minute long short film about See No Evil 2011, Who's Lenny?, was commissioned by the council.
[34] The film was made using a range of techniques including wirecam technology – a first in a UK urban environment - as well as time-lapse photography and 24-hour live coverage.
See No Evil: Who's Lenny explains how once outlawed graffiti artists have now come to critical acclaim, and how one group in particular were invited to paint the courts of law in which they were once convicted for their art.
[34] Arrangements were made by Inkie for the repainting of the street in August 2012, as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad accompanying the Summer Olympics and Paralympics,[36] with support from Bristol City Council, the Arts Council and London 2012 Festival as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad and Bristol University.
[38] The event took place on Nelson Street again, a one-way bus and taxi lane known for its depressingly grey concrete walls (including a 12-story office block and a police station) over the course of 7 days– with the permission of the owners.
[29][39] Three works from the 2011 event's 72 pieces were saved by the public vote, via an internet poll allowing people to voice their opinions on preferred works, those being the suited man pouring a tin of red paint, the wolf boy, and the woman and child; painted by Nick Walker, Aryz and El Mac respectively.
[38][43] Some of the artists (including ManOne and Vyal One, FLX One and Dones and Limited Press) in the same week also created work on hoardings around the Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone.
[27][28][29] Both years, alongside the live art event of See No Evil with graffiti artists at work, Hear No Evil hosted live music and DJ sets with artists from Bristol's music scene, plus graffiti workshops, food stalls, breakdancing, face painting, and pop-up galleries.
"Maybe there was a time when painting a wittily satirical or cheekily rude picture or comment on a wall was genuinely disruptive and shocking.
"[55] Inkie said "The future of See No Evil is a more diverse base of art forms including photography, digital and animation with bigger music acts and better installations and street dressings.