Collaboration and Elevation

How the street art dialogue develops uplifting imagery

This single layer rat stencil by SusiFoxy has been proudly flaunting its des res hole since very early 2025. A stencil rat is a classic piece of street art but it’s kind of hard to stand out among the many famous rat stencils. Equally, for a photographer it is hard for a single photo to stand out when firing with casual ease off one or two hundred photos of street art in a single walk.

.

A few weeks back, screen printer and street artist Oli Fowler pasted a series of wholesome young girls on the streets of Shoreditch. Obviously any sentence involving those words needs to very carefully constructed, let’s say that this innocent child was the kind of illustration seen in the “Janet and John” series that were my first exposure to stories with short sentences, the next step up from pictures of fruit and the word “apple”.

The best of Oli’s series was this next one for its relationship with Susi’s long standing rat. As well as being ephemeral, the combination in this photo demonstrates how a single piece street art becomes dynamic, ever changing and surprisingly enduring.

First, the placement is great, the rat’s head is turned towards the girl, the girl is looking in the direction of the rat. The positioning leaves no doubt that they are in dialogue.

The interaction is opportunist in the way that can’t happen in the conventional art world. No prior agreement, contractual arrangement or sharing of rights needs have been set up between Susi and Oli. Just do it as they say.

Even nature is getting in on the act. Just a green algae microbiological hint of its potential was evident in February 2025 but by April 2026 the Creeping Ivy has carpeted the entrance into the mouse hole and doesn’t Mr Rat look house proud.

Neither of the pieces were placed with permission, though let’s not oversell the idea that this was an edgy dangerous “design and dash”. More than 20 years of tolerance, perhaps mainly indifference, has made this Shoreditch alley one of London’s most chilled street art locations.

In early 2025 the photo of the rat on its own was ok but it didn’t stand out sufficiently for me to do anything more than meta tag it and salt it away in the abyss of the unseen, E:/ Drive. Now Oli’s addition has merited a story.

The moment she left the alley Susi relinquished control of her artwork, its fate unknown. Oli’s delightful twist has elevated and enhanced both his pasteup, Susi’s stencil - and thankfully my photo. Knowing Susi she will be delighted with un-planned life her art is enjoying.