Domestic Cleaners Chiswick 16th September 2018

What is your opinion on graffiti and/or city art? Two people certainly made their points quite clear, as a defaced mural made by the graffiti artist named Banksy was saved by a passing window cleaner.

The design, which was created in stencil depicts a child wielding a wooden sword that has a pencil attached to the end. To the right of the child is text in capitals saying "draw the raised bridge!"

The mural is in Scott Street, Wincolmlee and was whitewashed a few months ago but a cleaner named Jason Fanthorpe used water and white spirit in order to mostly restore the image.

He said that he "could not just sit back and not try to help" after seeing the mural had been defaced - "I was just going to bed when I'd seen that it had been painted over, and someone had said it was still wet".

He adds "Banksy, love him or hate him, has international prestige and he'd gifted the city with his art."

Since he already had his ladders and other miscellaneous equipment for his Monday morning shift, he was fully prepared to deal with the problem. So, he headed straight to the bridge in an attempt to save the mural.

He said that "I tried with just pure water at first, on one tiny corner, desperate not to destroy the underlying art. But it was not shifting so I had to use white spirit." He also added that numerous people turned up overnight to assist with the clean.

There had been a consistent flow of people visiting the street to take photos of the mural after images of it were shared on Banksky's verified Instagram account.

Since then, Hull City Council has installed a large protective cover over the work. They said that it was "to prevent further damage".

A spokesperson added that "This temporary measure will help to ensure that the public can continue to enjoy the work".

Staff at a pub, which is a few miles away from the mural, said that they have actually met people from places such as Bristol and Manchester who travelled to Hull specifically to see the artwork.

A film Producer went to the site after hearing about the damage, stating "Why would someone do that? What was the reason,". "All the excitement it brought to the city over the weekend and someone does that."

Thankfully, the image can still be viewed in a great majority of it's former glory.

What's your opinion on graffiti? It is one of the more controversial forms of art expression, however it also has connotations with being more passionate and open, and oftentimes when done right, the graffiti can be beautiful and inspiring. No matter whether people think it is wonderful or vandalism, most can agree that Banksy's art is a spectacle to be admired.

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