Thursday 21 July 2011

Hunter in the gorge


hunter in the gorge, originally uploaded by Dru Marland.
Continuing my soon-to-be-a-series of Aeroplanes That Flew Under The Clifton Suspension Bridge, here is a Hawker Hunter doing just that.

Next up will be a Gloster Meteor, just as soon as I've finished painting it.....

meanwhile here is the Canberra...
...and a Javelin (though I have not heard of a Javelin really doing this run)


...and, talking of painting (see what I did there?) ...I was driving along Stapleton Road yesterday and saw a chap pressure-washing the Banksy gorilla, that had been painted over last week.
This story is interesting because of the notions of reification and commodification that it brings to mind. Well, to my mind, anyway. Here is the chap who painted over it:
New owner Saeed Ahmed assumed it was a regular piece of graffiti and had it painted over. "I thought it was worthless," he said.

He added: "I didn't know it was valuable and that's why I painted over it. I really am sorry if people are upset."
It reminds me of the time, two summers back, when the Banksy exhibition was drawing in huge crowds at the City Museum, and employees of the same Bristol City Council were assiduously painting over some very good wall art in Stokes Croft, despite it having been done with the approval of the owner of the wall in question....

some tags; aircraft, aeroplane, RAF, flying, flight, flew under, the, Clifton Suspension Bridge, low flying, Hawker Hunter

5 comments:

  1. When Banksy sold your - I mean, his - Tesco Value print a few weeks ago, someone from the Council appeared on TV saying tearfully that they thought it most ungrateful of him to support public disorder - after all they did for him, too, putting on the exhibition and all...

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  2. Planes flying under the bridge - great subject and I love this picture... I may be wrong, but I think Banksy is still wanted for vandalism by the police in Bristol (hence his anonymity). Imagine if he were arrested and put on trial...

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  3. So then Banksy gets Mr Ahmed off the hook by owning up to obliterating his own masked ape (and the other two or three works beside it) with a new opus "White cat, eyes shut, in blizzard".

    Come on Banksy, step up and offer to paint something custom for Mr Ahmed on that lovely blank canvas he's prepared for you :-)

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  4. I'll never believe it whenever I see a picture of a plane flying unter a bridge again.

    .. the French boy scouts who cleaned some 'old' drawings off a cave wall...

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  5. Bless 'em, Charlie; the council seemed so pleased to appear edgy, didn't they? -bet they put on U2 records at dinner parties, too. Down with teh kids innit.
    It might prove a demonstration of the maxim that the way to prove a law unworkable is to try to enforce it, James. Actually, I'm sure that someone said this better, but darned if I can find their version.
    The griller is starting to appear, Suzzy, courtesy of the bloke with the pressure hose...
    V prudent, Anji. I just had an enjoyable Googlefest, looking for that boy scout story. Gosh!

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