The artist making a mark on the streets of Sheffield

“Beneath your city, as you dream…,” reads the writing on a wall next to the river off Hickmott Road, a residential area in Sheffield. And while most of the city’s residents are sleeping soundly something, or rather someone, is lurking in forgotten corners, armed with a paint brush or a spray can.

The once mysterious artist simply known as ‘Horace’ has, however, decided to step out of the shadows, revealing himself as Ben Hastie. By day, Hastie is the editor and creator of Horace, a small literary publication that publishes short stories, by night he takes to the streets to further cement his love of literature and art.

“I came across the biography of a character from an old computer game by chance,” says Hastie. “It described Horace as ‘a small mutant that likes to steal sandwiches and who causes panic and confusion among the general public’.”

With this, Hastie’s double life as a graffiti artist was born. What initially started out as a small experiment has now mutated into a city-wide project that has caught both the eye and imagination of Sheffield’s public and even academics, many of whom are spending their days going on walks to find all of the Horaces across the city. Given that many of the stencils have popped underground, that’s no easy feat.

“Creating a canvas for yourself somewhere unexpected is quite a potent thing to do,” says Hastie. “However, the problem with most graffiti is that it’s a meaningless scrawl. I’ve always thought that if you are going to go to the effort of painting something, you should perhaps use that opportunity to write something a little more profound than your name.”

Much of Hastie’s work can be seen close to Sheffield’s waterways, with Horace having popped up in the city’s tunnels. While the project started humbly enough, Hastie’s aspirations have now grown, although he admits an art project so close to rivers is not without risk.

“Initially I used to wade into the rivers barefoot, which wasn’t ideal,” he says. “But then a friend gave me some wellies, which were okay for certain places but that feeling when the river water goes over them is not pleasant. Finally I invested in a pair of waders, which has made the job a lot easier, but there has been the odd occasion where I have found myself out of my depth. I fell in a sewage outlet one night. I was on the edge of a waterfall and I’d resigned myself to getting a little bit wet, but it was dark and I just let go. My pockets were full of sewage and in that situation there’s not much you can do.”

While Horace may not have achieved the same fame as fellow Sheffield street artist Kid Acne, Hastie says he’s happy to be an outsider and for his work to remain underground in every sense of the word.

But the next time you just go to bed, just remember what goes on “beneath your city... as you dream”.

Where to spot Horace works

Just behind Sheffield’s bus station, where Pond Hill meets Sheaf Street, Horace can be seen looming over the River Sheaf. The mutant computer character can be seen best opposite the university’s new digital media building.

The Bridge Inn on London Road has been empty for some time, but beneath the redundant pub is one of Hastie’s trademark poems.

Another poem was written by Hastie for his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day. The best way to find it is to head along Brown Street from the Showroom cinema. Walk into the nearby car park, towards the Porter Brook river and the artwork is visible from the middle of the car park.