Banksy on the tube July 2020

[py_megapixel]

Either its all art or all vandalism

Not saying I agree that Bansky or anyone else should be allowed to deface railway property at will. But surely you can see the difference between something where effort has actually been put into it and something that some might consider artistic has been produced, and someone just painting a tag wherever they can just for the sake of it.

In my opinion it is all vandalism (unless on a legal graffiti surface) but only some of it can be considered art.

 

[sheff1]

The first bit of the video looks like it is at a depot/stabling point. If it is, that suggests possible inside assistance or fairly serious breach of security.

 

[John Hunt]

I've just watched the video and it appears so. On the BBC page, the question was asked but not answered.

 

[Mojo]

The first bit of the video looks like it is at a depot/stabling point. If it is, that suggests possible inside assistance or fairly serious breach of security.

I've just watched the video and it appears so. On the BBC page, the question was asked but not answered.

That part of the video is not of Banksy, he is watching the video on his laptop which is of a cleaner in the Victoria line depot and was released officially on the news.

 

[John Hunt]

OK. My mistake.

 

[delt1c]

What annoys me is that when somebody puts one of their tags over his graffiti it is called "valdalism" rather than regarded as a valid artistic comment.

Either its all art or all vandalism

It is all vandalism.Was he given permmision to do it. If the answer is NO then it is criminal damage

 

[Bevan Price]

What annoys me is that when somebody puts one of their tags over his graffiti it is called "valdalism" rather than regarded as a valid artistic comment.

Either its all art or all vandalism

If it is entirely on his own property - it is art (of a kind).
If it is done on somebody else's property (e.g. your house / car, etc., a station or train), without permission of the owner / legal occupier, then it is vandalism / criminal damage.

 

[SlimJim1694]

Some people may see graffiti as "street art", but it should only happen where the owner of a property has given permission for their wall etc. to be used in this way

The whole point of graffiti is that it's done without permission. As soon as you get permission it becomes something more akin to advertising.

If it is entirely on his own property - it is art (of a kind).
If it is done on somebody else's property (e.g. your house / car, etc., a station or train), without permission of the owner / legal occupier, then it is vandalism / criminal damage.

Surely it can be both.

I'm not commenting on the rights and wrongs of painting trains here, but it intrigues me that people see this as such a black and white issue. Is it art or vandalism? The fact people are talking about it means the person behind it has succeeded. I'd be very surprised if "Banksy" wasn't intending to court controversy with this stunt. People tag trains and it gets cleaned off every single day. I'm not even sure why this is news.

 

[furlong]

People tag trains and it gets cleaned off every single day. I'm not even sure why this is news.

It should be news if the culprit is identified but not prosecuted, as the worrying tone of some of today's coverage seems to be suggesting, inviting him back to do it again?! If he gets away with it, why shouldn't everyone else, leaving our trains looking as awful as many of those on the continent?

 

[Av80r]

It should be news if the culprit is identified but not prosecuted

Is he identified? I thought nobody knows who he is...

 

[SlimJim1694]

It should be news if the culprit is identified but not prosecuted, as the worrying tone of some of today's coverage seems to be suggesting, inviting him back to do it again?! If he gets away with it, why shouldn't everyone else, leaving our trains looking as awful as many of those on the continent?

Is he identified? I thought nobody knows who he is...

I concur with this. If the money flows to his bank account ok then I'm pretty sure the police and taxman shouldn't have too much bother identifying him. There is a massive double standard regarding this Banksy character. Jail for some, millions of pounds for Banksy... its ironic that while graffiti is meant to be subversive, this guy has become almost part of the establishment!

 

[Royston Vasey]

Art vs vandalism aside, the rats sneezing were subtle and made a valid zeitgeisty artistic point. Then he daubs a dribbly mess on the end wall and makes a weak nonsensical pun that misquotes a bad song... trying far too hard. You've jumped the shark pal.

 

[Ladder23]

His stuff is horribly clichéd to me but even disliking it he's quite obviously completely different to Tox.

every artist is different of course obvious! Everything is different whether its colour, a political piece, or canvas but I aint going that far to look into what they're doing and picking out who does what and what's better.... more the fact that painting a train simply shouldn't be ok for one and not the other, so I put them as good as each other.

 

[Taunton]

Surely one of the upsides here is that prosecutions for criminal damage go up the Transport Police/Whitehall route, rather than the Underground/TfL/Mayor route, the latter being somewhat amenable to this sort of thing done by a politically correct perpetrator.

Come on then BTP.

 

[Belperpete]

I think TfL set the right tone when they announced that "it was cleaned off just like any other graffiti."

 

[baz962]

Is he identified? I thought nobody knows who he is...

There is a suspect , not sure if proven.

 

[matt_world2004]

Is he identified? I thought nobody knows who he is...

Until they pull the data of the contactless card he used to enter the station.

 

[Taunton]

I think TfL set the right tone when they announced that "it was cleaned off just like any other graffiti."

If TfL/BTP can identify the perpetrator of the damage, do they always just clean it off and let it go ... ?

 

[matt_world2004]

If TfL/BTP can identify the perpetrator of the damage, do they always just clean it off and let it go ... ?

The CCTV for this incident has been burned off and passed to the BTP.

 

[MikeWh]

The CCTV for this incident has been burned off and passed to the BTP.

That's interesting considering that several media sources (inc BBC London) are reporting that TfL want him to recreate the artwork in an appropriate place because they agree with and appreciate the message being conveyed.

 

[Belperpete]

That's interesting considering that several media sources (inc BBC London) are reporting that TfL want him to recreate the artwork in an appropriate place because they agree with and appreciate the message being conveyed.

And so the police can be waiting for him ......

 

[matt_world2004]

That's interesting considering that several media sources (inc BBC London) are reporting that TfL want him to recreate the artwork in an appropriate place because they agree with and appreciate the message being conveyed.

I'm just going on what the yammer thread said about it

 

[mmh]

What benefit would prosecuting him bring?

Sadly it won't happen, but if the world just ignored him hopefully he and his mawkish claptrap would disappear.

 

[Ianno87]

To be honest it doesn't look that nice... Not like a huge Banksy fan or anything but he has done far better. This looks closer to the regular graffiti drivel that you see.

I don't "get" this either... nowhere near as powerful or thought-provoking as his work usually is.

But then again, here we are talking abut it...

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

What benefit would prosecuting him bring?

Sadly it won't happen, but if the world just ignored him hopefully he and his mawkish claptrap would disappear.

It sends a clear message to anyone doing anything similar you will be caught and punished.