The end of my road has never been so busy. It’s been busy for while… since April 13th to be precise when Banksy painted what has now become known as Spy Booth on the side of a house. On Wednesday last week things stepped up a gear when scaffolding was erected and rumours of removal spread through the town. The citizens of Cheltenham are not amused.
[ezcol_2third id=”” class=”” style=””]
Panic On the Streets Of Cheltenham
I visited on Sunday to take some pictures and found a van parked up alongside the now boarded up Banksy. Inside were security guards – a couple of young energy drink swigging lads on 24 hour surveillance with orders to stop anyone “doing damage” to the artwork. A bit over the top I thought… at which point a man in a padded sumo wrestler suit came from nowhere at considerable speed and flung himself at the temporary structure thus calling security into action.
I have no idea what the sumo suit was supposed to signify and after a stern telling off the man retreated to the pub across the road, presumably the launch pad of his surprise attack moments earlier. This event seemed innocent enough and was likely fuelled by five pints of cider over lunch rather than an obsessive hatred of modern art, the council or wider “system”.
Other Cheltenham residents have been more intent on doing harm to the Banksy. Having learnt of its imminent removal numerous locals were caught ripping the boarding away from the scaffolding earlier in the week, presumably acting upon the childish notion that if we can’t have the Banksy then no one can.
Breaking the Banksy
I spent some time chatting with local residents, the security guards and passersby trying to piece together the story so far. I wanted to talk to the sumo wrestler too but he proved to be illusive. The common threads of information are as follows: The owner of the house has been paid an undisclosed amount by a company for the artwork – so essentially it has been sold. This company then began the process of removal but only got as far as erecting scaffolding before Cheltenham council got involved. Turns out there are restrictions in place forbidding any external alterations to the property without prior planning permission and a hefty fine and potential jail sentence is the punishment for rule breakers. There is another theory involving a local business woman who is raising money to purchase the Banksy from the new owner before it goes to auction. Her intention is to keep Spy Booth in its current location and she has become something of a local hero. Both tales offer a good explanation as to why the Banksy remains in situ for now, albeit boarded up.
Street Art Is Free Art
One thing is for sure, Banksy has got the local people of Cheltenham talking about art. People have been out in the street demonstrating and local creative juices have been flowing, evident in the site specific artworks that have popped up on and around the scaffolding boards. I particularly like the tiny little picket line complete with miniature people, fenced off with matchsticks. It would be a stroke of genius if someone was to respond to this new tiny piece of public art by erecting some equally tiny scaffolding around it and placing a minute security van out infront. Maybe a project for this evening?
The overwhelming majority of people that I talked to today want the Banksy to stay where it is, especially now that someone is trying to take it away. Funny that. A few weeks ago, when the mural was not under threat and before Banksy had confirmed its pedigree, I can’t help but feel that the public’s opinion on whether Spy Booth has a rightful place on the streets of Cheltenham would have been somewhat more divided.
[/ezcol_2third]
[ezcol_1third_end id=”” class=”” style=””]
{How Much For A Banksy}
Here are a few of Banksy’s most iconic pieces with their approximate value at auction.
No Ball Games
Estimated sale price: £500,000
Painted: 2009Girl With Balloon
Estimated Sale price: £450,000
Painted: 2004Oldskool
Estimated Sale price: £350,000
Painted: 2006
[/ezcol_1third_end]
Sale Of The Century
I feel sad that a great piece of street art, created without remuneration is to be removed and sold. It doesn’t feel right, but I understand and I do not bear the seller any ill feelings. I will admit now that if I was the owner of a wall that one day got painted on by a chap whose work fetches up to half a million pounds at auction I wouldn’t be leaving it for the visual pleasure of the street for too long either. There wasn’t a single person at the end of my road who didn’t express a similar view, seems all would sell their Banksy given half a chance. All perhaps with the exception of the lady with the “Street Art Belongs To The Street” sign, but I didn’t ask her because she looked more intimidating than a sumo wrestler with Strongbow on his breath.
Banksy art always makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. Not because of the art itself (it’s always clever and amazing) but because of the scrum of people who ALWAYS suddenly appear determined to find a way to get their mitts on the money. It happens every time; there’s always some sort of fight, the local council always get involved and it’s all a bit cringeworthy and awful because the whole point about Banksy is that he wants his art to be as publicly visible as possible. Why else would he create his art in the places that he does?
I def can’t say that if he painted something on my house, I wouldn’t also be tempted to make some (a lot) of money out of it but maybe that’s the point – we should have hard and fast rules that an artwork like that immediately becomes subject to once it “appears” (maybe Banksy could set up an art foundation that has automatic ownership rights over all his pieces). I’ve no clue how that would work in reality (and it probably wouldn’t – imagine the arguments around ‘proving’ whether something is/isn’t a Banksy – my hear hurts thinking about it) but it would just be so nice if, when the next Banksy appears, it wasn’t followed by the inevitable bunfight, and we could all just stand back and enjoy it (fat lot of good Spy booth is doing right now under all that scaffolding!).
Hi Kate,
Firstly great use of the phrase bun fight and secondly I totally agree with your thoughts – the media circus and the scrum that seem to charge from the woodwork at anything Banksy lays claim to certainly does make me feel more than a little uneasy. I can’t help thinking that this is all part of Banksy’s wider plan though. We almost become the “Art”. Stage one is the actual production of the artwork. Stage two is the grand reveal “IT IS A BANKSY!” This is quickly followed by Stage three which is, as you so succinctly put it, a bunfight of greed, accusations, controversy, the occasion sumo wrestler and a statement from the local council.
It is all quite interesting though and I can’t help but feel if works by Banksy did not have this effect on the people – if they appeared on the walls of our towns and cities and where simply admired with no sociopolitical polava then they wouldn’t be worth nearly as much.
What a shame 🙁
How do you actually remove artwork from a wall though? I’m confused as to how someone can buy a painted on picture?!
Hey Sian,
I am no expert on this. Actually that’s a total lie, after standing at the end of my road for about an hour over the weekend I am now an expert in how to remove a Banksy…
The scaffolding goes in to secure the building – the wall in question is sandwiched between two large wooden panels and clamped together to protect the artwork, wall and wall rendering from cracking or breaking and then the wall is basically cut out and removed in one piece. It’s a technique that has already been applied to the other banksy pieces that I mention above, all sold at auction.
Basically the whole wall is removed… Which is probably why the local council got involved 😉
Um, don’t tell anyone but I had to google bunfight on my phone just to make sure it meant what I thought it meant! It also means a grand tea party apparently – who knew.
V good point – I think Banksy has quite a cynical viewpoint of society/government etc and the ensuing drama just prove his point, creating his own self fulfilling prophecy. Ahh we’re all part of Banksy’s art, this is like eating the red pill in the Matrix.
Hmmm, his work is awesome BUT when does he do it?? Surely in broad day light, people would think he’s just any other graffiti “artist” and he would be arrested. At night he would look like a “special person” hanging around street corners and up to no good again possibly getting arrested.
How quickly does this art work appear? is he capable of creating such masterpieces in minutes? is it something more progressive that he keeps “popping” back to, adding elements bit by bit so he doesn’t get caught? – just my musings
Oh and half a million – yes I would be “offering” my house wall for sale too! 🙂
Hi Helen,
Apparently Spy Booth was created in the very early hours of the morning – Panels were erected and the area zoned off for an uncertain amount of time… The lady who lives in the house was awoken around 6am as the boardings were coming down – she watched them being loaded into a van which then sped off A-team style.
Cool eh?
Cooler than an igloo with air con, I want a banksy on the side of my house, wonder how he chooses his next canvas…
We called into Cheltenham on Sunday and went to see the Banksy and so disappointed it is covered in scaffolding. The security guys were there too. The Banksy signature (the rat) do you think he’s been back and done that as a protest? Or has someone printed it off google images… I love Banksys and love the debate it always causes.
We had a Banksy in Southampton and there was similar a argument about ownership and it being sold, and then some knob painted over it so in the end no one got it. I only saw it once, but it was cool. Southampton really doesn’t have that much going for it so it’s a shame that greedy people managed to ruin it!
That is sad Kitty, I couldn’t believe it that people were trying to ruin the Cheltenham Banksy when they thought it was being removed… People can be absurdly greedy and selfish.