Hey guys!! A couple of days ago, a piece of original Banksy art work appeared overnight on Scott Street Bridge in Hull and so far the response from the general public has been very mixed. In case you didn’t know, Banksy is an anonymous, British grafitti artist who first popped up in his home town of Bristol during the 1990s. He spray painted trains and walls throughout the city which is well known for its creative street art and graffiti before expanding his graffiti beyond Bristol in the 2000s and sharing it all around the world. Lots of people have tried to unmask this mysterious artist’s identity over the years but to avoid going to prison for vandalizing buildings with their graffiti, its crucial that Banksy stays anonymous. Banksy takes inspiration from a French graffiti artist called Blek le Rat who is fond of using stencils in his art work and has a very visual style. By using stencils in his work, this assists Banksy to complete detailed graffiti pieces in short amounts of time. Banksy has been known to cause some controversy with his art work in the past as he has no trouble conveying political messages in his graffiti and also being rebellious with it. Banksy’s latest work in Hull has divided people’s opinions and caused such a massive controversy and news buzz. So in today’s post, I’m going to share Banksy’s Hull art work with you and explain some of the theories people have of its message as well as some of the public’s opinions.
Banksy’s art work displays a young boy, sporting an upturned colander and an agape mouth, raising a wooden sword with a pencil attached on the end in one hand and carrying a shield in the other. The text ‘Draw the raised bridge!’ finishes off the art work. Banksy seemingly confirmed that the art work was an original after a picture of it was posted on Banksy’s instagram account. But what everyone is really intrigued to know is what the graffiti actually means and this has resulted in quite the controversy with several theories being offered up. Councillor Stephen Brady, the leader of Hull City Council, thinks that it might be an indication that Hull is part and parcel of Yorkshire and that Yorkshire devolution signals that Yorkshire will pull the bridge up and rule on its own. Banksy followers have deduced that it refers to Banksy being for EU and Hull was the city with the highest vote to leave the EU. It means Hull ‘raised the drawbridge’ on immigration and the EU. Another idea from a Twitter user suggests that it links with Hull not allowing entry to King Charles in 1642. Banksy has so far not proposed any explanation to the meaning behind the graffiti so for now we will be kept guessing.
Another question frequently asked, regarding Banksy’s art work, is why do it in Hull and why do it on Scott Street Bridge? Taking an educated guess, I would say that Hull’s exposure during its continued stint as City of Culture and Scott Street Bridge’s exposure in the ‘Open Bridges’ event could be part of the reason why Banksy chose to do the grafitti where he did. However, like the theories behind the meaning of the art work, Banksy has not confirmed anything so any idea could be valid. Whether it was intended or not, Banksy has brought a news buzz to Hull with his art work as he keeps everyone guessing about a lot of details surrounding the art work. One of the other big controversies is whether the art work should be removed or not. On one side, the graffiti could be considered vandalism for defacing Scott Street Bridge and people have argued that other street artists have their graffiti removed and can be prosecuted for it so why is Banksy any different? However, some people strongly consider Banksy’s art work to be so unique and individual that it would be a sin to remove his infamous, original art work and revoke the privilege of having the national art icon’s work on one of Hull’s bridges. Personally, I feel honoured that Banksy has embellished his art work on one of Hull’s bridges and with a perspex cover to protect it, there will be more of the public who can enjoy the art work which I’m very pleased about.
Thank you for reading this post!! What are your thoughts on Banksy’s art work in Hull? I’d love for you to tell me in the comments!! There’ll be another post out soon but until then bye for now.
Amelia Grace a.k.a Amelia in Hull
Ahhh LOVE Banksy! He did a residency here in New York a couple years ago with his work showing up in all the Burroughs it was amazing! ❤
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Same!!! Awww that’s so cool 😊 xx
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Great to read an unbiased report about the Banksy. I think it is sad that two people have already tried to damage it. I hope the council take action to protect it in the longterm.
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Thank you 😊 yeah definitely it would be a shame to see it damaged again.
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Love it! So so glad you’ve got to see it. Also, there’s some great facts here. Amazing Amelia! X
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Thank you 😊 xx
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I think it looks good! It looks very cool.
xx
Courtney || https://courtneylivin.com
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Ikr!! 😊 xx
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I actually had no idea who Banksy was until I read this post, but the way you explained it was super clear – you have a really smooth style of writing!
That’s cool that he painted on a wall in Hull, and since I don’t really have any preference on Banksy’s works, I’ll just say that it looks cool 😀 😛
Overall great post! I loved reading it!
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Thank you so much!! I’ll be honest I didnt really know much about him until he painted on one of the bridges in Hull 😂 thanks so much I’m glad you enjoyed xx
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that’s so cool!!! how neat that he chose to do some art in hull 🙌🏻
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I know right!! I feel honoured on Hulls behalf 😀 xx
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Another ace post Amelia, a great piece of writing, clear and articulate, well thought out and explained. And how cool!
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Thank you so much!! Ikr 😀 xx
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Reblogged this on Open Bridges and commented:
Another ace post from @AmeliaInHull , a great piece of writing, clear and articulate, well thought out and explained. And how cool!
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I had never heard of Bansky until reading your post. But he/she is a genius at marketing. By only confirming the art is authentic but not revealing the meaning or inspiration, it keeps the buzz and interest going. Brilliant!
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Haha if I’m being honest I didnt know much about him until I researched him for this post 😂 definitely it’s so great xx
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I love Banksy! Personally, I view it as art too 🙂 Lovely post! xx
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Same I definitely would view it is art 😊 thank you xx
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I LOVE BANKSY! His work is always a. really cool looking and b. really smart. totally goes over my head until it’s explained to me but when it’s explained im like DAAAAAAMMMMNNN SON! xx
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Same!! I definitely agree his art work is so cool and smart 😊 xx
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Reblogged this on Wonderwall and commented:
Wonderwall in Hull … art continues in Hull as year of culture draws to close. Interesting post about new Banksy.
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I love how Banksy combines art with rebellion and politics. Do you really think he would have to face prison if he ever reveals his identity?
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Same!! Ooohhh that’s a really tricky question 😀 some other graffiti artists have gone to prison for their work so maybe?? Xx
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Oh this is so cool! Hull seems like such an amazing place, especially with you there to tell us all about it!
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Definitely!! Aww it totally is thank youuu 😊 xx
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Just read about this artist. All I know is that he expressed his views on politics and what he thought. Gives me much to explore. As an artist I start with a place of love…all that I love! Maybe I need to explore the place where everything bugs me?
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Yeah it definitely does give you a lot to explore!! Maybe you should. Thanks for reading 😊 xx
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This is so cool! The idea that Banksy is still anonymous is incredible seeing how ‘connected’ everyone is nowadays with technology. I recently went to Bristol and got to see some of his artwork in real life and they are honestly incredible. xx
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Definitely!! Oh wow I’d love to go see his art work in Bristol 😊 thanks for reading xx
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Fab post, I saw this piece on the news! Thanks for writing more about Banksy, it’s nice to learn new things! x
Emily | thatcreativegenius.wordpress.com
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Ahhh thank you!! Glad you enjoyed learning more about it xx
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[…] most recently is the one by Banksy, after learning and researching more about him from Google and Amelia’s post! He has a very good point about all of us- resting but not quitting, and therefore it is only right […]
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You are nominated for sunshine blogger#4..Congrats
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Thank you!! 😊
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Leave it to Banksy to shake the table. 😉
Dom | http://www.DivaNamedDom.com
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Haha exactly 😀 xx
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