The Null Device

Scenes from Portobello Market

A few photos from Portobello Market last Saturday:


This chap's name appears to be Mafa Mianmaud Bamba, and he is a localised celebrity of some sort, at least for his mad hairdo. He was standing near a wall, with a rack of postcards of himself which he was giving away for free, and smiling at people. A number of people posed for photos with him. I don't know whether he has any other claim to fame other than his hair.


A woman with an antique barrel organ and a pram full of small dogs in hand-knitted woollen cardigans. She would turn the handle and the dogs would yap. Almost like something out of the English equivalent of a Jeunet & Caro movie or something.


Marxist chic appears to be big in the yoof-oriented parts of London, with Soviet-flag T-shirts and numerous items of Che merchandise all over market stalls. In fact, not far from where this picture was taken, someone was selling Che handbags. This particular variant of the icon appears on the railway bridge across Portobello Rd.

(I also saw some Giant stickers nearby; though, so far, I haven't seen one THIS IS A HEAVY PRODUCT sticker anywhere in London.)

There are 3 comments on "Scenes from Portobello Market":

Posted by: alex kidd http://anordinaryboy.blogspot.com Tue Oct 29 19:18:32 2002

GREAT picture of Mafa Mianmaud Bamba. you're a good photographer...

Posted by: alex fnord.org Thu Oct 31 07:59:55 2002

Does this mean you're going to put a few THIS IS ... stickers up?

You want I should dig up a PNG or something?

Posted by: tony http://www.tamesapien.com/weblog/ Fri Nov 1 13:18:23 2002

I peeled off a 'tiahp' from the urinal at my local (The Dover, Bridge Rd. Richmond)and pasted it onto a street sign in Willesden, NW10 (corner of Yewfield Rd. and Roundwood Rd.)on my last visit to London. Don't ask me why. I also posted about 50 3RRR stickers throughout Soho whilst very pissed in 1999. Keep your eyes open for one.