Scary

Ben Eine’s Scary mural is a notable mural on the street. It is also one of the longest standing pieces of street art in Shoreditch. The word chosen was always ironic. A reference to what Eine saw as the unreasonable associations people made with graffiti and crime. Most graffiti, Eine says “Is just a tag… by a kid, who has no interest in any other crime apart from expressing himself in a weird way because there’s nothing better for him to do”. Eine’s response to this perception was, according to the artist, “to write the word ‘Scary’ six metres tall and thirty metres long”.
Since that first mural was created in August 2007 it has had an exceptional run. Using black and white letters on a red background over the years it became a part of the fabric of the street. In 2019 Eine himself decided that it needed a refresh. Changing up the background he painted it yellow with a series of blue mustaches in support of Movember. The piece was re-imagined to encourage men to take a more positive approach to their mental health.

More about it and a podcast interview at Inspiring City