Monday, October 27, 2008

Banksy: One Nation Under CCTV scheduled for removal

Banksy and his team created One Nation Under CCTV last April. Banksy and company erected scaffolding in a Post Office yard in Newman Street near Oxford Circus in order to create the 23ft-high mural. Apparently the team was in full view of a security CCTV camera during the process. Banksy had worked behind polythene sheeting in order to conceal his identity. The piece is now scheduled for removal.

The Westminster City Council has ordered the removal of the 23ft-high mural stating that it encourages graffiti. The consensus of the Council is that it should be removed for the greater good. This is not the first time that a piece by Banksy has been removed for the "greater good" and I doubt it will be the last.

What do you think about this decision? Should street works by artists of note be protected from removal? Do these works encourage graffiti in mass? What say you?

I learned about this story on the Coxsoft Art News blog. Coxsoft previews London art exhibitions and reports on anything of special interest in the visual arts worldwide-- from ice sculpture to body painting. Check Coxsoft out!

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

No, it doesnt encourage graffiti, but is stupid. And they left it up for six months, thats more than enough time for a childish rant, my rants are much more mature. if too long to put on a wall.

ACDE

megan bisbee said...

Usually art becomes more poignant when it is protested or removed. The fact that it caused any controversy at all is interesting because it means the artist had a direct interaction with people. I don't think the issue of whether art should be protected or not is an issue to be judged, but something to be noticed and thought about.

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