Banksy strikes again!
Environmental politics is about densely populated urban areas like this, just as much as it is about farmland and woodland and hedges.
--Jeremy Corbyn
So says the former leader of Britain's Labor Party and now-independent Member of Parliament, delighted that the dismal-looking wall behind the dismal-looking sawed-off tree in Islington North, the lower-income neighborhood of London that he represents, serves as the canvas for the mysterious graffiti artist's latest project, which made its mysterious debut sometimes Sunday morning. Nearby residents also are said to be delighted, as well as flattered. They didn't think Banksy even knew their little slice of urban blight existed (as for Banksy's own existence, he admitted on his Instagram account Monday, a day after the mural appeared, that he indeed his handiwork.) As to why the tree was so radically pruned in the first place, supposedly it was a safety hazard, and even more supposedly needed to be done to prolong the life of the fifty-year-old tree, which was said to have a fungus problem. Whatever. I'm neither an expert on trees or fungi (other than liking an edible form of the latter on my pizza.) I can only hope that Banksy's spray painted greenery remains until that day in some future spring the tree sprouts green on its own.
UPDATE!
(All this is in red so you can better differentiate the original from the revised. Even in the midst of damage control, my readers come first.)
Some people predicted this, but in my naivety, I thought I could get a good, one-day posting out of it before it...
...happened.
Yes, the painting was defaced, either late last night (3/19/2024, London time...I think) or early this morning (3/20/2024 London time...ditto). Now, this gets kind of existential. It can be argued that graffiti, no matter how well done, is technically a form of defacement. So is this really an example of defaced defacement? Vandalized vandalism? Such questions may be philosophically beyond me. All I can say is that I preferred the original defacement to the revised defacement, just as I preferred my original post to this screwy update, but this isn't about me, so back to the matter at hand. As you can see, a fence has gone up. I've read conflicting reports as to when or how exactly this happened. Some news stories say the fence was already in place and the vandal climbed over it to do his misdeed. Others stories state the fence went up only after the splash of white paint was discovered. In whatever order it happened, it seems a good bet it was put there per the Islington Council, who in the past few days saw their usually overlooked London suburb suddenly become a tourist attraction, though I've read speculation that it was put there by Banksy himself! None of this, Banksy's original artwork, the white defacement, and maybe even the installation of the fence, happened in broad daylight, but in the cover of night.
Take it away, Patti:
(I had to salvage this post somehow. I'm sure Banksy would understand.)
I love this Banksy and look forward to images of an again lush tree.
ReplyDeleteMitchell, there's been an update.
DeleteHow bizarre. A local frustrated with all the noise and activity? Some other kind of activist? Just some jerk?
DeleteMitchell, I read it could be a case of "turf wars", i.e., local graffiti artists don't cotton to some big shot from out of town moving in on their territory (of course, that would be a huge assumption on their part as Banksy's identity remains unconfirmed and he may very well live in that neighborhood.) Banksy's art has been painted over by other graffiti artists in the past, and he himself has painted over other artists. It's a dog paint dog world.
DeleteSpeaking of assumptions, it's an assumption of mine that Banksy works at night. Some think he and other graffiti artists work just as often in the daytime. So why is it I've gone my whole life without ever seeing a graffiti artist at work? I once saw a cat chase a dog. I once saw Milton Berle walk into the McDonald's where I was working. I once saw a man fall asleep standing on a ladder without falling off. But I've never seen a graffiti artist at work.
I heard about the new Banksy but hadn't seen a photo yet, so thanks! It certainly does cheer up that "little slice of urban blight," as you put it.
ReplyDeleteDebra, there's been an update.
DeleteThe white 'defacing' is hardly noticeable. The work of some scared little kid who threw some paint and ran away. From even a little distance Banksy's work looks just fine.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I understand, Mike, it's still attracting visitors.
DeleteYes, I heard that it had been defaced, but I hadn't seen a photo of the damage, so thanks for the update.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Debra.
ReplyDelete