On a recent visit to Berlin I ventured to Bülowstraße in Schöneberg, with the sole purpose of getting a glimpse of URBAN NATION’s HQ street art. I’d caught sight of Super A and Collin van der Sluijs ‘Starling’ on Colossal, produced through the not-for-profit initiative, and I was keen to see what other murals UN had helped bring to Berlin's streets.

I’ve increasingly become fascinated by urban art, which is a hugely important and increasingly admired 21st century art form, capable of bringing cities to life and allowing people to find expression within the very fabric of places. Bülowstraße didn’t disappoint, but inspired a deeper curiosity about URBAN NATION and its mission, so I got in touch with director Yasha Young to find out more.

Musings about my favourite places in NYC - from restaurants to galleries and city wanderings, including The Quarter, WILD, Keen's Steakhouse, Norma's, Izakaya NoMad, The Highline, MOMA and street art.

Banksy isn't the only street artist keeping his identity under wraps - South East London street artist Trust Icon's identity also remains unknown, but since 2009 his works have emerged on the streets of London and beyond to great acclaim.

Walking to work this morning I spotted a new addition to Queen's Park station's street art spot...I've had my eye on it for a while waiting for something snap-worthy. Today was the day!

The question is, what is he trying to say with his new work?

2015 has seen the weird and wonderful come to London – owl pop-up cafes, a food museum complete with butterfly house, a cereal café, a bar with breathable alcohol, and chemical cocktail cooking, amongst others.

One person making waves in the events industry is Seb Lyall, founder of app Locappy and dubbed ‘one to watch’ by Talent International, Richard Branson and WIRED. 

​He is also curator of a number of ad hoc innovative events under the Lollipop/ABQ umbrella. 

In April 2015 he brought the Annie the Owl pop-up event to Soho, which was a chance for Londoners to meet and learn about six feathered friends, receiving free canapés and smoothies on arrival.

An ongoing documentary of the ever evolving street art of cities visited, mostly the streets of London but also Leeds, Brighton, Amsterdam, Vienna and beyond.

Including work by: Cherie Strong Art, Louis Weinberger, Dscreet, Ali Hamish, Mike Jones and Anna Walker, Saki and Bitches, The Rolling People, Dan Kitchener (DANK), StinkFish, Roa, Faith Forty Seven, Paul Don Smith, Noemie Baud, Free Form Arts, Alexis Dias and Elian Chali, Stikki Peaches, Irony, Stephen Powers, and far too many unknown artists...feel free to use the comments to tag work!

​Images: Sarah Moor

North of Kings Cross in the most unlikely of places sits a piece of nature amidst the developing urban sprawl, a natural ecosystem side by side with a working construction site. It’s name? Of Soil and Water, perhaps more commonly referred to as Kings Cross Pond Club. This man-made fresh water public bathing pond is the UK’s first of its kind and it sits at the heart of one of the largest developments in London, up past Guardian’s HQ (King’s Place) and not a million miles from the celebrated Granary Square. The pond will be a main attraction within the Lewis Cubitt Park area of the King’s Cross development.

Unlike Hampstead Heath, or London’s numerous lidos, this al fresco swimming spot has been described as ‘experiential art’, ‘land art’ and ‘an installation you can swim in’ amongst other things. Temporary though it might be, the labelling of the pond as art is intriguing given its clear function as a bathing pond. 

Last week I ventured north to Yorkshire to spend two days in Leeds. Close to my hometown of Hull,  Leeds used to be my family's shopping destination of choice, long before the days of Trinity Leeds, and long before before my appreciation of fashion full stop; as a grumpy teen I befriended many a fitting room chair in despair as my sister tried on her umpteenth outfit. Leeds also happens to be the city in which my university life was lived, and the place that shaped the opinions I hold true today.

It turns out a place can change a lot in 4 years. When I graduated in 2011 the landscape of Leeds was different. I don’t ever remember stopping to admire Holy Trinity Church back then. I wasn’t a gig-goer and from what I can remember it spent much of the three years that I called Leeds home behind hoarding, an ambiguous dingy building which as far as I knew had nothing to offer me. Today it signifies the beating heart of Leeds city centre: Trinity Leeds, which boasts a strong retail, restaurant and bar offering.