Jo’s Monday walk : Street art in Silves

Silves, as one of the loveliest towns in the Algarve and its former capital, is one I seldom fail to take visitors to.  Last weekend, while strolling the streets on my way to a Mediterranean Garden Fair, I was much taken with some distinctive and amusing street art.  Boxes housing electricity cables are seldom an attractive feature, so an initiative to transform them must surely be a good thing.

‘Stencilpes’ is described as an urban intervention project to encourage young people’s interest in art, using images from history, architecture and nature.  I could find little information about the individual artists, but I thoroughly enjoyed spotting the artworks.

Whimsical creatures rub shoulders with cork oaks and olives, grapes and strawberries, birds and butterflies.  On the riverfront, these pieces of modern art pay tribute to Silves’ Moorish past.

High on the hill, the red brick fortress looks down on peaceful streets.  The morning market supplies restaurants and locals alike, but then the town seems to sleep, leaving just the storks to keep watch from their lofty perch.

Great, aren’t they?  No need for me to say much!  A nice change for you.

I found myself wandering into an area I didn’t really know, in pursuit of the boxes.  On the corner of Rua Dom Afonso III stands a pretty little church, Igreja Nossa Senhora dos Martires, and a statue of the martyrs, which looks like it’s seen better days.

I don’t know about you, but I was starting to feel the need for some refreshment.  You’ve been very patient this week, so I’ll give you a choice.

A crispy almond topped cake
Or strawberries and icecream?

While I was eating, a clattering noise overhead caused me to look up.  What a magical sight met my eyes!  A stork was descending to his waiting mate, on their nest above.  I averted my eyes, politely, from their noisy love making.

The garden fair wasn’t the highlight of my afternoon, but I did buy a couple of plants and a terracotta pot.  I wandered back to the riverside parking, a big smile on my face.  And spotted another couple of boxes!

I’m sure I’ve missed a few, but maybe next time?  I hope you enjoyed them too.  S is for Silves will give you a little background on the city.

walking logo

Thanks so much for your company on my little jaunt!  Join me any time you can, here on Jo’s Monday walk. You’ll always get a warm welcome.

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Eek!  That white stuff is still to be found!  But Rupali is happy with blue skies :

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Susanne has found plenty of sunshine in her neck of the woods :

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Lisa too, but still a little cool, I understand :

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Step Forward or a Peek into the Past

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Enchanted Forest

Janet knows I love a glass or two of wine :

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Covering up the weariness with a smile; you must be following Cathy’s epic journey?

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There’s a regular Monday meetup over at Sami’s Colourful World for all those of you who love street art.  Have a great week, and see you next time!

137 comments

  2. Love it! This is just the kind of town I’d like to explore. Beautiful visuals to match your observations on your walk. Thanks for taking me along with you. xo

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  6. A different walk from you, but such a colourful one. They do this in the US and Canada too, but I haven’t seen it here. I suppose too many might be a bit much, depending on what the architecture is around them, but these look to have been carefully thought out. I like the blue and white buildings and the swallows best, some of the pink is a tad garish. Keep the cake, I ‘ll have the strawberries. What do you mean there’s none left?

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  8. Wow, I remember when you and Mick took me to Silves, but they didn’t have all these wonderful painted murals on the electric cable boxes! What a fabulous way to make them prettier; it’s a great idea to use them as canvases for art. I love them. I also love those statues in the water taking us back to the Moorish past. Wonderful, Jo. And thanks so much for the link! 🙂

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    1. I think they started them last year, Cathy. A couple of other towns are said to have them too, so I need to go and investigate. 🙂 🙂 You’re very welcome, hon!

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  10. Such a great idea to stimulate and promote art. I laughed at the storks noisy love making comment. Jo, Brian and I will be passing Tavira with our motorhome in the next week or so. We plan to stay at a campsite for one or two nights. If you are around we would love to meet you 🙂

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    1. That would be nice, Gilda. It’s a busy one and our son arrives next Wednesday but if we can fit something in I will. I’ll email you my mobile number 😎🍓🍧💕 xx

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  12. what an great initiative Jo! the boxes are amazing and are transformed into colorful, decorative pieces. love the tiny church. lovely walk as always. thank you and the refreshments look yum 🙂

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  15. The boxes are amazing! We need more of that kind of art. Here in Houston, there are some of these electrical boxes near one of the airports that are painted with vintage images of pilots, planes, and stewardesses (had to use the word that was used in that era!). I adore them and keep thinking I need to stop the car and get some photos, but it’s not a great place to do that. You have inspired me to try …

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  19. I like reading of your walk today. Your art finds are great, my favorite is the donkey cart clean and ready for the new day. Deserts? I’ll take a half serving of each.
    ..

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