More on the mural: an update on my previous post

Mural no more? Well, no, not exactly.

In my last post, I linked to a story in the Hackney Gazette on the subject of a Banksy mural on Stoke Newington Church Street. I took the article at its word, and passed on the news that Hackney Council had "destroyed" the painting. I included the photograph from the article, which showed the mural surrounded by black paint, but basically unscathed. I'll admit that I didn't give much thought to the picture, thinking it was a document of the so-called 'destruction' before it was completed. If I had thought about it a little more, the lack of any workmen or ladders in the picture might have seemed a little suspicious. But surely it's gone, right? After all, the article seems to be saying that the mural has gone, a victim of Hackney Council's stated position "not to make a judgement call on whether graffiti is art or not." Well, no.

If you take a closer look at the photo (or the wall itself, as I did today), you'll see that there are a few light black marks over the mural made by paint rollers. Other than that, they have painted around the mural, not over it. Does it look less pleasant than before? Yes, probably. Would a completely black wall be a far better canvas for a new mural, council-sanctioned or otherwise? Yes, definitely. Has Hackney Council "destroyed" this particular mural? No, absolutely not.

So, my apologies. I will think a bit longer next time. This is clearly one of the dangers of instant blog posting. Hopefully I won't come to regret this one too...

Posted via email from Sam Lewis