At the end of the Victoria line at the Walthomstow station, and then a 15 minute walk through some suburban streets with some lefts and at other times rights is an industrial estate. Through the gate and buried at the very end of the units where you are convinced you are lost and doubting it's existence at all is God's Own Junkyard. It's a worthy pilgrimage and actually sort of where you expect God would put a junkyard.
The warehouse is a monument to neon and the life works of the late Mr Neon, Chris Bracey. It's littered to the rooftop with cables, plug sockets and choice words with neon epigrams, the whole collection is stacked, I suppose how a junkyard of the sort would be. Full of sex, religion, americana, sci-fi and nostalgia that all blend together surprisingly well, It's a visual feast that you can take in with a coffee and an open mouth. It is a gem of a place.
It is really great.
Emmanuelle is a Swiss-Canadian animation director and illustrator living in London. She studied animation at the world renown Gobelins school in Paris. She's been working for international client since 2004, and published a few illustrated books too.
Before moving to London, Fortuny worked in New York City, Milan, and Los Angeles as a writer and editor. She has contributed to magazines such as Flaunt, Dazed & Confused, Exit, Metal, and Vice. Fortuny is currently the Features Editor at Exit magazine. She loves design, languages, and studying art movements.