You know you’ve made an impact when the headlines upon your death are filled with words like “iconic”, “infamous”, “world class” and “upset Queen Elizabeth II”. By that measure, graffiti supremo Helch made a pretty serious mark on the world.
He died this week, leaving behind a country pockmarked by his tag, a giant towering HELCH, though sometimes reduced to just a simple upper-case H. It was on railway bridges and motorway overpasses, on derelict buildings and decrepit high rises. From Bristol to London, Helch was everywhere. He was even on a railway viaduct on the way to Windsor Castle, in 60ft high white letters, “ruining” the view of poor old Elizabeth’s home and apparently leaving our late monarch in an absolute rage.
