See No Evil film explores Bristol's street art scene

In August this year, Bristol's See No Evil event saw a host of both local and international street artists transform one of the city's drabbest streets into a multi-coloured haven of twisted type, bold characters and striking graphics.

Production studio Hurricane Media were on the ground filming the event, billed as one of the most ambitious street art projects in the world, and interviewing those involved.

The resulting film, "Who's Lenny?", now available to watch online (see below), is an in-depth exploration of the contemporary street art landscape, as well as a fascinating look at Bristol's rich graffiti history.

As many of the featured artists, included Bristol legends such as Inkie and international stars like New York's Tats Cru and Amsterdam's Shoe, will contest, the artform has evolved over the years to become more thoughtful and aware, both of its self and its surroundings, and the way it interacts with them.

In taking over an entire street, See No Evil not only demonstrates how acepted street art has become, but also follows an international trend towards 'decorating' large areas of a city rather than just creating one-off, large 'throw up' pieces.

The Lenny of the title actually refers to a dog owned by Bristol youth worker John Nation, who ran Barton Hill Youth Club in the east of the city. In the 80's he began inviting teenage graffiti writers to express themselves creatively - and legally - on the site's walls. Lenny the dog was referenced in some of the murals.

Once police realised that the tags matched those dotted illegally across town they were quick to raid the centre and make arrests. To the artists' amusement, in interviews they regularly demanded to know who the elusive 'Lenny' was.

In terms of graphic treatment, producer John Mowat chose to keep it as simple as possible so as not to compete for attention with the content, sticking to simple yet striking linework for the credits, which were created in After Effects.

See No Evil is free to view online. Watch the video below or to find out more about the project vist the official website.