Street artists paint Wolverhampton underpass to celebrate 1980s graffiti

Street artists have celebrated the publication of a book documenting lost graffiti from the 1980s.

About 15 artists gathered legally to spray the walls of an underpass in Peel Street, Wolverhampton.

The book, Old So Kool, captures the clandestine creations of an era when many artists worked through the night.

"Most of it's in people's memories now, so I think this is bringing a lot of it back to life," publisher Steven O'Hara said of the book.

The street art admirer from Birmingham worked with Wolverhampton artist Paul Pilgrim on the book, who liaised with the city council to ensure the graffiti jam was permitted.

"Back then obviously the world was a different place and artwork on walls wasn't really greatly accepted, whereas now today it's part of today's culture," said Mr Pilgrim.

"When you've got a legal space you can actually dedicate a whole day to putting it together," said Mr O'Hara.

Mr Pilgrim started creating graffiti in 1985, after the scene began in London and soon spread to the West Midlands.

His 80s Old Skool Graffiti Facebook group connected artists who contributed photographs to the book, evoking memories of bygone days.

"Even people who weren't graffiti artists are looking at it and thinking about where they used to live," said Mr O'Hara.

With 1,000 copies already sold, the creators said the level of interest meant they planned to release 500 more books.

"It's gone beyond our wildest dreams," Mr Pilgrim said. "There's so many unsung artists out there and there's so much good work that, as it is at the moment, I've got enough that I could produce another book."

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