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Banksy Was Here: State Strategy Versus Individual Tactics in the Form of Urban Art Author: Meghan Hughes Source: Prandium - the Journal of Historical Studies, Vol

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Banksy Was Here: State Strategy Versus Individual Tactics in the Form of Urban Art Author: Meghan Hughes Source: Prandium - the Journal of Historical Studies, Vol Title: Banksy Was Here: State Strategy Versus Individual Tactics in the Form of Urban Art Author: Meghan Hughes Source: Prandium - The Journal of Historical Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Spring, 2017). Published by: The Department of Historical Studies, University of Toronto Mississauga Stable URL: http://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/prandium/article/view/28581 Urban art, according to Lu Pan entails a sense of “illicitness that may either pass by unnoticed or disturb the predominant order.”1 In creating this art, the ‘writers’ as they call themselves, seek to subvert the perceived framework of power represented by the city, and create alternate spaces to contest these structures outside the state-sponsored scope. Urban art seeks to subvert and disrupt normative relations between producers and consumers, by creating a space of free exchange. Through this changing and re-appropriating of space, the graffitist challenges the “illusion of ownership” and draws attention to the unseen struggle between the individual and the institutions of the metropolis.2 Using the theories of Michel de Certeau and Georg Simmel to frame my analysis, I will examine the ways in which the works of London-based urban artist Banksy engage in this practice. In exploring the ‘alternate’ spaces that Banksy creates, I seek to demonstrate how his anti-consumer, anti-political works function as avenues to negotiate and re- conceptualize relations between the individual and the structures of power represented by the city. Michel de Certeau’s work, The Practice of Everyday Life is an exploration of the daily practices, or ‘tactics’ of individuals that utilize urban space in a unique or unconventional way. The concept of tactics, according to de Certeau, “belongs to the other.”3 Tactics, more specifically, are “employed by those who are subjugated,” are “defensive and opportunistic” and are ultimately “governed by more powerful strategic relations.”4 Strategy, in contrast, represents “a subject of will and power (a proprietor, an enterprise, a city, a scientific institution)… and thus serve[s] as the basis for generating relations with an exterior distinct from it (competitors, adversaries, ‘clienteles,’ ‘targets,’ or ‘objects’ of research).”5 Therefore, tactics can be understood as the actions of individuals, taken consciously or unconsciously, in order to develop unique “ways of operating” within the context of an overarching framework.6 Urban art then becomes a tactical expression, a platform from which to engage with, and question the strategic operations of the city. Similarly, according to Georg Simmel in “The Metropolis and Mental Life,” there exists a constant strain on the individual within the metropolis to maintain that individuality, and to resist the rhetoric that “reduces all quality and individuality to a purely quantitative level.”7 He also outlines the mental and physical “atrophy” of individualism in a space where communities are encouraged to evaluate each other through the lens of 1 Meghan Hughes is a recent graduate from the University of Toronto Mississauga. She graduated with distinction, majoring in English and History. She originally wrote the paper for the course HIS378 - East Asian Cities. After taking a short break, she plans to return to school to pursue a master's degree in English Literature. She would like to thank Professor Tong Lam, for suggesting she submit the paper for publication, as well as his advice for improving it. Lu Pan, Aestheticizing Public Space: Street Visual Politics in East Asian Cities (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2015), 7. 2 Patrick Potter, Banksy: You Are an Acceptable Level of Threat, and if You Were Not You Would Know About it (London: Carpet Bombing Culture, 2014), “Blatant Provocation.” 3 Michel de Certeau, The Practice of Everyday Life (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984), 17. 4 Andrew Blauvelt, Strangely Familiar: Design and Everyday Life (Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 2003), 20. 5 De Certeau, The Practice of Everyday Life, 17. 6 Ibid., 18. 7 Georg Simmel, “The Metropolis and Mental Life.” In Metropolis: Center and Symbol of Our Times (1995), 12. 1 consumerism.8 For Simmel, the city represents a space where the value of the individual is based on their ability to produce and consume, and they are recognized as a numerical quantity. Urban art serves to undermine the normative relationship between production and consumption, as “when someone paints a picture on a wall – that is disruption because it is given freely. It’s not a commodity, because there is no exchange.”9 However, an exchange does occur between the artist or writer (Banksy in this case), the art itself, and the observer, which can be interpreted as a form of production and consumption. However, de Certeau’s argument suggests that “consumption is not merely empty or passive, as many critics claim, but can contain elements of user resistance.”10 De Certeau outlines the tactical practice of reading as having “all the characteristics of a silent production” whereupon “a different world (the reader’s) slips into the authors place.”11 For de Certeau, this freedom on the part of the individual to read and interpret their own version of a piece of writing “makes the text habitable… it transforms another person’s property into a space borrowed for a moment by a transient.”12 Thus, urban art can be understood as subverting and re-conceptualizing urban areas into a temporal space where the tactics of individuals create an exchange that challenges the normal operations and power structures of the city. Most importantly, these challenges address the realms of politics and culture of consumerism. The first piece which I will discuss was stenciled by the London artist in Essex, specifically, a town called Clacton-on-Sea in 2014.13 The mural depicts a group of pigeons (a bird usually associated with urban environments) protesting the migration of a colourful African swallow. The pigeons are intended to represent England as a community, making the piece a political commentary on oppositional attitudes to immigration. Banksy has made use of the urban canvas to make his message even more powerful (as seen in the photograph), by depicting the pigeons on a different section of wall (smooth) and separated from the swallow by a clear line. The swallow is set upon a background of rougher, textured wall. Furthermore, the contrast in colour, between the gray pigeons and the green swallow is indicative of the beauty and potential of the ‘new bird’ which the pigeons are trying to chase off. The group of birds is also contrasted by the singular, serving to paint the swallow as the “other,” and in doing so, comment on the concept of xenophobia. Banksy’s anthropomorphizing of the pigeons simultaneously highlights the absurdity of trying to stop immigration, as well as the inherently natural state of the act itself, as birds migrate, so do people. Banksy also utilizes the physical location of the mural for emphasis, as Clacton-on-Sea is both a port, and a popular tourist spot. The fact that the mural appeared in this location signifies a tactical appropriation of space, functioning as a platform 8 Ibid, 19. 9 Potter, Banksy, “First Time as Property Damage”. 10 Blauvelt, Strangely Familiar, 20. 11 De Certeau, The Practice of Everyday Life, 19. 12 Ibid, 19. 13 “Banksy anti-immigration birds mural in Clacton-on-Sea destroyed,” BBC News, October 1, 2014, accessed October 21, 2016. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-29446232 2 appeared mere Image used with permission: banksy.co.uk 1. Bird Mural close up, Clacton-on-Sea. from which to question political policies, and community values. It undermines the intended use of the space to highlight the paradox of welcoming some individuals while denying others. The mural satirises the fact that people are welcome to visit, take pictures, and spend money, so long as they return home. Banksy’s attack on ‘otherization’ serves to create a space where the viewer is challenged to consider their own position on the issue, as well as recognize that the collective (the pigeons) are in a position of power to influence these Image used with permission: banksy.co.uk policies. Indeed, 2. Bird Mural, Clacton-on-Sea. the mural weeks before a 3 community by-election, suggesting Banksy intended the community to relate the piece to a larger context. 14 The combination of the mural’s context, form, and message effectively challenge the strategy of the space, and encourage the ‘reader’ to do the same. Banksy has created a multitude of pieces that critique the values and politics surrounding immigration, but one of his most notable works in this vein was painted in Calais, France late 2015.15 His portrait of Apple’s late CEO, Steve Jobs, was stenciled on the wall of a highway overpass in the refugee camp in Calais known as Image used with permission: Art of ‘The the State Jungle.’ The piece 3. Steve Jobs, Calais, France. was intended to disparage popular views that “migration is a drain on the country’s resources” according to Banksy himself.16 Jobs was born the son of a Syrian migrant, and due to his incredible success, Banksy intended to communicate that any refugee or migrant could potentially reach the same level if awarded the opportunity. The piece’s message is viewed somewhat critically, as Jobs was adopted and did not have much contact with his biological father. Additionally, implying that refugees are promising insofar as they can contribute to the economy and become as financially successful as Jobs is certainly problematic.17 However, the context and location of the piece certainly allows for differing interpretations. ‘The Jungle’ already exists as a re-appropriation of urban space, outside the intended state use, and the portrait of Jobs serves to further re-imagine the space as a place where even a wealthy businessman (a person of ‘value’) could find himself.
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