Kelburn Castle To Lose Psychedelic Art, Going Old School

by Sean McLachlan on


Kelburn Castle isn’t your typical 13th century Scottish castle and aristocratic estate. It’s an example of some of the best street art in the world.

As you can see, it’s pretty trippy, the product of a group of Brazilian street artists in 2007. It was allowed by the local council on the understanding that it would be up for no more than three years. Generally, there are strict rules in the UK about changing the appearance of historic buildings.

Despite this, the castle’s owner, the Earl of Glasgow, has been fighting to keep it. Now it looks like the mural will have to go. It turns out the layer of cement that the mural is painted on is damaging the original medieval walls.

Being a modern sort of aristocrat, the Earl of Glasgow has launched a Facebook page to save the mural. So far it’s attracted more than 4,000 likes.

[Photo courtesy Iain and Sarah]

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Photo Of The Day: Street Art In Rome

by Melanie Renzulli on




Reserve your negative opinions about street art for a moment and consider this image of “Madonna and Child” spray-painted on the side of a who-knows-how-old building in Rome, Italy. Captured in the residential neighborhood of Trastevere by Flickr user AlexSven, the photo summarizes, at least for me, the living organism that is the Eternal City. The ancient and modern, the irreverent and the religious all co-exist in this magical city.

What’s more, the word “graffiti” is an Italian word meaning “illicit scribblings or drawings on the surface of a public place” and is a type of art and protest that has been in practice since the days of the Roman Empire. So this street artist (or vandal, depending on which side of the debate you are on) is continuing a tradition that has lasted thousands of years.

Share your best travel images with us by adding them to the Gadling Flickr photo pool for a future Photo of the Day.

Street Art Brings Color To Ecuador (GALLERY)

by Libby Zay on

New York, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and Melbourne are just a few of the cities known for street art. But that doesn’t mean the streets aren’t being spray painted, wheat pasted and stenciled in other cities – and more importantly, it doesn’t lessen the messages these artists are trying to get across. One such place is Ecuador, where graffiti tells the stories of the state of life and what it’s like to live in the country. Locals in the country’s capital city have a saying that there are “no blank walls in Quito,” and for the most part that’s true. Even in those instances where there is a blank wall, it probably won’t be long before it turns into a canvas. Click through the image gallery below to see a collection of street art images from across Ecuador (including some from Baños de Agua Santa, where Jessica Festa recently documented graffiti). Whether you consider street art a nice artistic touch or an act of vandalism, these images show a unique perspective.

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Exploring The Dark Side Of Banos, Ecuador, Through Graffiti

by Jessica Festa on

Not only is Banos, Ecuador, home to pristine waterfalls, active volcanoes, adventure sports and delicious candy, it’s also got some impressive graffiti art. What’s interesting is that while the city itself gives off an optimistic and happy vibe through its natural beauty, cozy coffee shops and locals twisting and shaping pounds of sugar cane into colorful taffy, the graffiti takes on a dark and sometimes morbid edge.

The art has a very contrasting feel, not only to the city itself, but also to the usual political graffiti you see in many places, such as in the street art in Buenos Aires. Instead, these unworldly, cartoon-like depictions will have you perplexed, disturbed and amazed at the same time.

I took these shots while walking around the main part of the city and was really impressed with the creativity. For a better idea of street art in Banos, check out the gallery below.

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Photo Of The Day: Pink For Peace

by Meg Nesterov on


It’s not often that you see a cheerful military tank, but this pink-painted tank in Ljubljana, Slovenia, is almost cuddly. According to Flickr photographer Bob Ramsak and his blog Piran Cafe, the tank was made over in March by some anonymous artists, who also placed some flowers inside the barrel. Parked outside the National Museum of Contemporary History as part of its collection of military equipment, the newly rosy tank now matches its surroundings. The museum director said in an interview: “Since we don’t know how we’re going to return it to its original color, we’d like to thank these guerrillas, or vandals, that they at least chose a color that matches the museum’s facade.” The public art statement is just another reason to love Ljubljana.

Seen some unusual public art? Share your pics in the Gadling Flickr pool for a future Photo of the Day.