FOR THE TIME SURROUNDING THE LONDON CALLING BLOCK PARTY, I WILL BE DELETING LOGS WITHOUT THE PHOTOS AS SPECIFIED IN THE LOGGING REQUIREMENTS WITHOUT NOTICE. IF THIS AFFECTS YOU, FEEL FREE TO RE-LOG WITH THE REQUIRED 2 PHOTOS.
Brick Lane, located in East London, is a vibrant hub where street art and immigration converge, contributing to the neighbourhood’s unique cultural identity. Historically, this area has been a home to waves of immigrants—most notably Huguenots, Irish, Jews, and Bangladeshis. I have hereditary links to two of these influxes of incomers. Each group has left its mark, and today, the streets of Brick Lane are covered in dynamic murals that reflect London’s diversity.
The street art in Brick Lane serves as both a canvas and a voice for immigrant stories. Artists from around the world come here to showcase works that tackle themes of displacement, identity, and resilience. From politically charged murals, to humorous observations on the absurdity of the world we live in, the art here turns the streets into an evolving gallery that celebrates the human condition, while also confronting issues such as social justice, racism, sexism, and gentrification.
There are two tasks to log this Virtual, which each require you to take a photo (details below). Two photos must be uploaded by every geocaching team that posts a 'Found It' log. You do not need to send any message or validate your find in any other way, but logs which do not contain the two required photos will be deleted. The difficulty rating reflects these precise requirements*.
- A photo of you or your caching name (written on your hand, a piece of paper or something a bit more permanent) in between Seven Stars Yard, which runs along the old Seven Stars pub, and the shop on the other side of the alley. The photo should be taken at the headline coordinates, with both buildings in the frame, facing into the yard, with a clearly visible identifier (you or your caching name). See example.
- A photo of a piece of street art that speaks to you, taken in the area around Brick Lane. You don’t need to like it, but it should provoke some sort of reaction in you. I’d love to hear about it in your log, but this is optional. You do not need to be visible or have an identifier in this photo. This will serve as a record of the constantly evolving array of art in these streets, often linked to things happening in wider society. There are five waypoints which indicate where some of the best street art can be seen in the area, although the photo can be taken anywhere along Brick Lane and the streets coming off it, between Seven Stars Yard and Pedley Street. You can say where you found your chosen piece of art in your log (optional). I selected this one (from a choice of many, many), as it seemed well suited for my Virtual (and I liked the message).
*The reason for the specific requirements for photo 1 is to ensure you visited Seven Stars Yard off Brick Lane, and not a random bit of graffiti somewhere in the world. Although Virtual, this is a location-based cache.
The optional stages of this Virtual have an associated Adventure Lab.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.