I got a Banksy signiture for sale

[mido]

so I assume you are giving the proceeds to charity on your death brick?

This was suggested to you before but you have been sadly quiet about the idea.

I'm not getting into a dick measuring competition with you about charity work (i think I would win anyway)

I'll repeat - Contribute something to this forum or fuck off.

[KaL976]

I think this has got a little out of hand...

If this was any other wall I really wouldn't be giving it a moments thought beyond, 'damn, we lost another wall'. People put street art on ebay all the time & although in my opinion street art belongs in the street this wasn't removed by force by you, it was going to landfill & you happened to be there & although it doesn't interest you particularly & you have no clue that it's anything other than a regular wall, you are well aware that someone somewhere might give you a few hundred quid for it. Fair enough, that's the world we live in & in the grand scheme of things it's not even vaguely important.
However this isn't just a block from a random piece & if it was me & I got a message saying, 'mate, you may not be aware but that's from a Memorial wall...' shortly after placing the listing, I wouldn't need to ask the world what would be the decent/moral/right thing to do.
I'd be changing my listing to reflect that & add that all proceeds of the sale would be going to charity*. Call me old fashioned but I think profiteering from someone elses death, however famous the artist in question has subsequently become, isn't quite right.

*I understand Abi died from an asthma attack after a night out, so I figure that's the one to be donating the proceeds to.
www.asthma.org.uk/what_you_can_do/donate/index.html
-

You may use that image if you change your listing otherwise it's just posted for reference & I'd appreciate it if you didn't hotlink it
-
Further reading for anyone interested in Memorial walls & their significance,
www.dpmhi.com/productdisplay.php?item=111
-
I would like to think I'm done with this now apart from bidding on the charity auction, or not, if you decide to keep it or give it to a friend who's a fan or whatever.

[summitornuffin]

Oh talking about Heritage, you live in Staines, You worry about Staines Heritage and I'll concern myself with Bristols.

Please don't come back and tell me you used to live in Bristol cos that would be some what a slap in the face of your comments (you know heritage respect and all)

RESPECT to the massive

Wess-side

[summitornuffin]

kal976 said:

I think this has got a little out of hand...

If this was any other wall I really wouldn't be giving it a moments thought beyond, 'damn, we lost another wall'. People put street art on ebay all the time & although in my opinion street art belongs in the street this wasn't removed by force by you, it was going to landfill & you happened to be there & although it doesn't interest you particularly & you have no clue that it's anything other than a regular wall, you are well aware that someone somewhere might give you a few hundred quid for it. Fair enough, that's the world we live in & in the grand scheme of things it's not even vaguely important.
However this isn't just a block from a random piece & if it was me & I got a message saying, 'mate, you may not be aware but that's from a Memorial wall...' shortly after placing the listing, I wouldn't need to ask the world what would be the decent/moral/right thing to do.
I'd be changing my listing to reflect that & add that all proceeds of the sale would be going to charity*. Call me old fashioned but I think profiteering from someone elses death, however famous the artist in question has subsequently become, isn't quite right.

*I understand Abi died from an asthma attack after a night out, so I figure that's the one to be donating the proceeds to.
www.asthma.org.uk/what_you_can_do/donate/index.html
-

You may use that image if you change your listing otherwise it's just posted for reference & I'd appreciate it if you didn't hotlink it
-
Further reading for anyone interested in Memorial walls & their significance,
www.dpmhi.com/productdisplay.php?item=111
-
I would like to think I'm done with this now apart from bidding on the charity auction, or not, if you decide to keep it or give it to a friend who's a fan or whatever.


[Thanks Kal, my apologies I had already linked it from Ebay, before you posted this message, more so that Mr Shellshock was winding me up. Anyway thanks for the answer I was trying to establish. I to have Asthma, Only mild mind you, so I do have an element of appreciation, however not to the point of someones death regarding a Mural. I will take on your points and consider them in due course. To be fair, regarding Charity, I have very strong opinions on certain charities, and do not under any circumstances give money to any Charity that backs testing on animals. I will check out your link but if I find that they condone animal testing I will consider donating to Bristol Dogs home as a compromise]

[joelp]

Seems like such a waste of money on something that could be easily faked.

All of the assholes trying to make a lot of money off of banksy makes me sick. All of these dealers are buying up every print they can just to put them on ebay that same day. Hell, just look at all the LA show prints on ebay now.

It ruins it for fans like us who admire banksy and want prints to hang up on our walls for as long as possible.

Sorry for the rant.

[Ågent ßacardi]

All of the assholes trying to make a lot of money off of banksy makes me sick. All of these dealers are buying up every print they can just to put them on ebay that same day. Hell, just look at all the LA show prints on ebay now.

It ruins it for fans like us who admire banksy and want prints to hang up on our walls for as long as possible.

Sorry for the rant.

I'm totally with you on that one!! All I want is his stuff on my walls... and I have to resort to buying reproductions and 'fakes' (how sad, I know)

[typowriter]

Mornin all!
I just registered to see what the Ebay guy had to say and to be honest I'm a tad disappointed.
I also think that the regulars may be being a bit harsh on him.

Judging by the way his posts are written I am assuming summitornuffin isn't one of the eldest people on this forum. With that in mind, and considering all the news hype about Banksy at the minute, who can really blame the guy for his first thought being "EBay" ?
He has already stated that he isn't a Banksy fan. When contractors leave things lying on the street anyone can pick it up, so it's not surprising a non-fan has got hold of it.

What has surprised me though is that the majority of Bristol people who know something about Graff have known the building was going to be demolished for about a year. There were no attempts to save the piece in any form, that I am aware of.
I live right round the corner from where the piece was and it was very obvious that the place was being demolished imminently for at least a week.
If anyone cared that much about it they had ample opportunity to salvage for more ethical means.

As someone who does follow Banksy work and appreciates it etc it was a bit sad to see that a local landmark had gone. However, the fact that this piece stood for 10 years is astounding. The very nature of graffiti art is temporary, this wall could have been painted over years ago and no-one would have blinked an eyelid.

Anyway, I posted this on my site last weekend:
By Saturday morning Banksys “Class” piece from years ago, and the building it was attached to, was a pile of rubble waiting for the skip to arrive.
Doubtless some enterprising soul has a bunch of the bricks stashed and ready for E-Bay.


There's more Banksy pictures on there somewhere if you could be arsed looking

[Daniel Silk]

Come on People! lets leave this one alone now please

Martin, Come on Mate! Keep calm

[monochrome]

sad as it may seems, but there are a few bidders and likely to be many watchers.

i personally like the original sentiment behind the wall, but it's no longer there - perhaps we should be taking it up the developers, not the individual selling the brick.
i wouldn't buy it personally, but i think we have to stop judging people people on what they sell. as far as i am aware, it's not stolen, it's not 'fake' so i think we have to stand back and watch this sale happen.

martin - if you took a photo of it, and sold it for example, would that be right or wrong?

[saffa]

if you are not a banksy fan summitornuffin, then rather leave the forum and don't post on it.

[KaL976]

summitornuffin said:

[Thanks Kal, my apologies I had already linked it from Ebay, before you posted this message, more so that Mr Shellshock was winding me up. Anyway thanks for the answer I was trying to establish. I to have Asthma, Only mild mind you, so I do have an element of appreciation, however not to the point of someones death regarding a Mural. I will take on your points and consider them in due course. To be fair, regarding Charity, I have very strong opinions on certain charities, and do not under any circumstances give money to any Charity that backs testing on animals. I will check out your link but if I find that they condone animal testing I will consider donating to Bristol Dogs home as a compromise]

S'alright, I was refering to hotlinking the image, not the thread

Fair point on the Animal testing, I just did a quick search for Asthma charities & linked the most obvious - any Charity of your choice is fine by me.

[summitornuffin]

Thanks Kal

[mido]

what exactly is your problem?

how dare you make assumptions about me.

which bit of my previous post didn't you understand, re "I am from the west country". I guess you didn't read my website either then. I was born in Bath as Colerne doesn't have a hospital. All 4 grandparents, and father, buried in Colerne Parish Church. Colerne is mentioned in the Doomsday book. Lived in Colerne for 2 years. Bath for 20 years. Manc for 1 year. Africa for 2 years. London for 5 years. Staines for 2 years.

I'm an elected council member of the National Trust, the largest heritage and environment charity in Europe. Degree in History. Heritage is my middle name ;D

what the hell has where I now live got to do with this? Do I give away all my rights as a heritage expert just because I've now spend 7 years away from my area of birth / life ?

P.S. - Staines has some of the most important pre-Christian archaeology in Britain, and was a Roman town as well....

summitornuffin said:

Oh talking about

Heritage, you live in Staines, You worry about Staines Heritage and I'll concern myself with Bristols.

Please don't come back and tell me you used to live in Bristol cos that would be some what a slap in the face of your comments (you know heritage respect and all)

RESPECT to the massive

Wess-side

[summitornuffin]

My problem is you.

You have not stopped with your incessant preaching, and it's boring.

look, all we have done is generated animosity between ourselves. I'd like to consider myself a reasonable person.

So I think rather than to continue bickering, we just agree to leave it as it is.

Although you are having a pop at me, and OK I have had a few others give negative vibes. I personally have no interest in the block, but I do have 92 watchers, Ok your probably one of them, so that makes 91 people who are watching with the intention to bid or see how much the block auctions for. So have a go at them as well.

Bearing in mind a few have already bid, does that not say that more approve than disapprove at this juncture.

On the basis of a democratic vote maybe the argument of not selling is outnumbered by those who are showing an interest as well as those who have already bidded.

Without labouring the point any more. Just leave it, and we all go our separte ways, before this gets more out of hand than it already is!!

[mido]

kal summed it up - "However this isn't just a block from a random piece & if it was me & I got a message saying, 'mate, you may not be aware but that's from a Memorial wall...' shortly after placing the listing, I wouldn't need to ask the world what would be the decent/moral/right thing to do. "

You have aksed about this, you have had our opinions, and twice you have said you will think about it. TYet you have done nothing. It now seems you will continue with the sale, and you haven't yet confirmed that you will give the proceeds to charity, even though you say you suffer from asthma yourself. Several people suggested (right from the start) that giving the proceeds to charity could be way forward and it would obviously appease opponents like me.

If this is the end of it I hope you will unregister from the forum as it seems clear you have no interest in banksy and his art.

summitornuffin said:

My problem is you.

You have not stopped with your incessant preaching, and it's boring.

look, all we have done is generated animosity between ourselves. I'd like to consider myself a reasonable person.

So I think rather than to continue bickering, we just agree to leave it as it is.

Although you are having a pop at me, and OK I have had a few others give negative vibes. I personally have no interest in the block, but I do have 92 watchers, Ok your probably one of them, so that makes 91 people who are watching with the intention to bid or see how much the block auctions for. So have a go at them as well.

Bearing in mind a few have already bid, does that not say that more approve than disapprove at this juncture.

On the basis of a democratic vote maybe the argument of not selling is outnumbered by those who are showing an interest as well as those who have already bidded.

Without labouring the point any more. Just leave it, and we all go our separte ways, before this gets more out of hand than it already is!!

[mido]

I was there just a month ago and I didn't see any sign about it being knocked down....

yes, It is amazing that it stood for almost 10 years! and looked so fresh.

what's the address of your website please?

typowriter said:

........What has surprised me though is that the majority of Bristol people who know something about Graff have known the building was going to be demolished for about a year. There were no attempts to save the piece in any form, that I am aware of.

I live right round the corner from where the piece was and it was very obvious that the place was being demolished imminently for at least a week.

If anyone cared that much about it they had ample opportunity to salvage for more ethical means.

As someone who does follow Banksy work and appreciates it etc it was a bit sad to see that a local landmark had gone. However, the fact that this piece stood for 10 years is astounding. The very nature of graffiti art is temporary, this wall could have been painted over years ago and no-one would have blinked an eyelid.

Anyway, I posted this on my site last weekend:
By Saturday morning Banksys “Class” piece from years ago, and the building it was attached to, was a pile of rubble waiting for the skip to arrive.
Doubtless some enterprising soul has a bunch of the bricks stashed and ready for E-Bay.

There's more Banksy pictures on there somewhere if you could be arsed looking

[LoveRat]

"Graffiti belongs to everyone and no one. On a section of a condemned wall, I put up a graffito... a bank director stopped the construction work, had my carving cut out as a fresco and inlayed it in the wall of his apartment."

Pablo Picasso

[pica]

Loverat-

Good quote from the Man himself! Picasso also decided one day to chalk pastel his dealers beautiful new car with glorious designs and images that took him almost the entire day to complete. He then asked his dealer to take him into town in the new car. The dealer went as slowly as he could so he could perserve the car drawings, but alas Picasso kept screaming for him to go faster and faster as he stuck his head out the window and watched the drawing disapear. By the time they got to Cannes, it was almost all gone. The dealer said he felt sick to his stomach. Picasso had a s**t eating grin on his face.

[typowriter]

pica said:

Loverat-

Good quote from the Man himself! Picasso also decided one day to chalk pastel his dealers beautiful new car with glorious designs and images that took him almost the entire day to complete. He then asked his dealer to take him into town in the new car. The dealer went as slowly as he could so he could perserve the car drawings, but alas Picasso kept screaming for him to go faster and faster as he stuck his head out the window and watched the drawing disapear. By the time they got to Cannes, it was almost all gone. The dealer said he felt sick to his stomach. Picasso had a s**t eating grin on his face.

Nice story, thanks.

mido said:

I was there just a month ago and I didn't see any sign about it being knocked down....

yes, It is amazing that it stood for almost 10 years! and looked so fresh.

what's the address of your website please?

Living literally round the corner I guess I would see any activity more easily.

My site is:
www.typowriter.net

[mido]

like it.

do u think that Dean St guy is a failed graff artist who got his timing wrong and is getting some kip until it gets dark?

seen some of the blue stickers. like them

typowriter said:

My site is:
www.typowriter.net

[KaL976]

Now that's funny ;D

[gm]

Awww, I heart Lovejoy ;D

I used to have a Lovejoy ringtone 4 phones ago.

[mido]

we expected nothing less from you, you old grannie! ;D

gm said:

Awww, I heart Lovejoy ;D

I used to have a Lovejoy ringtone 4 phones ago.

[mido]

story in the Bristol Evening Post tonight apparently.

and may be syndicated to other papers (regional/national)

P.S. they contacted me, I didn't contact them - they don't have a stock photo of it. I appreciate there is a big feeling against the BEP (they have been very anti-graff) but sometimes you have to sup with the devil to make sure a balance of opinions is at least offered to them. With the weight of public opinion firmly behind the Park st piece and the general beatification of Banksy as a Bristol cultural icon, maybe they will take this chance to change their tune on what is art and what is culture/heritage? or maybe I'm just naive and will come out of this looking like a gullible idiot! LOL ;D

[gm]

Nice one, Martin ;D

Hope you'll scan it for those of us who aren't going to be able to get hold of a copy.

[mido]

www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144936&command=displayContent&sourceNode=144919&contentPK=15495224&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch

BYE BYE TO BANKSY WALL

BY TOM HODSON T.HODSON

10:40 - 22 September 2006

A Wall featuring an early work by controversial Bristol artist Banksy has been torn down to make way for flats.The wall in Sevier Street, St Paul's, had been painted with a Banksy graffiti picture known as The New Pollution, which is believed to have been a tribute to a dead friend.

People living nearby expressed sadness at the loss of the work - although some said that as it was painted illegally it had no special reason to be protected.

Planning permission was granted for the redevelopment of the site some time ago, but the company behind it said they hadn't realised the significance of the wall.

Nine flats and two maisonettes will replace the house which was stood on the site before, on the corner with Ashley Hill.

The Banksy painting featured the word "class", surrounded by searchlights with bombs raining down on one side, and a flying insect on the other.

The words "dedicated to Pure Class" and "Abi - rest in peace" could be seen at the bottom of the work, with Banksy's signature "tag" on an orange arrow.

The block featuring the signature has now appeared for sale on an internet auction website.

Tom Beckett, 25, who lives next door to where the wall stood, said: "I think it's a disgrace they've taken the wall down.

"It's a shame the artwork wasn't taken into consideration. It was a well-known piece of art in the area."

Mark Boyle, general manager of the Better Food Company shop opposite the site in Sevier Street, said: "We have had lots of people in who are very unhappy about the wall coming down."

However, not all local residents thought the painting was a legitimate piece of art.

Vicky Anderson, 24, who lives in Sevier Street, said: "It is a shame, but he did paint it illegally and, at the end of the day, it's not his right to write on somebody else's wall."

David Friedman, managing director of developers Springdale, said work on the site had started last week and is due to finish in September 2007.

The flats will cost between £150,000 and £185,000. Springdale bought the site in August 2004.

Mr Friedman said: "I was talking to local agents about the value for the future flats, but no-one ever mentioned the sentimental value of the graffiti. If I'd known about it earlier I'd have done all I could to save it."

He said he would have left the wall and built around it had he known about its significance.

Martin Bull, a Banksy fan who works on a website dedicated to the artist, said he was surprised the brick was being sold.

He said: "Banksy's work is becoming so commercialised, but it's not necessarily his fault. I think the sale is a bit immoral - it's a memorial."

The seller of the block, whose auction on website eBay had reached £205 by yesterday afternoon, asked to remain anonymous.

He picked the block up from a pile when the wall was knocked down.

He said: "I didn't know it was supposed to be a mural. From some people's point of view it's immoral to sell the piece, but then if someone wants to buy it, they are just as immoral."

The sale of the brick is due to end at about 6pm tonight.

[KaL976]

gm - Say if you want a copy & I'll pick one up later & post it to you if you'd like.

[InactiveX]

Didn't meet reserve at £620.

Wonder what the reserve was?

[mido]

yeah, that must have been a very ambitious reserve for a brick!

but seller did say they might offer it if the highest bid was decent enough.

I'd like the seller to tell us if he sold it or not, and if not, what they intend to do with it now....

inactivex said:

Didn't meet reserve at £620.

Wonder what the reserve was?

[mido]

LOL, the seller reported me to ebay for contacting him (at the start) with this EXACT paragraph...

"hi there, do you realise that this wall mural was dedicated to the death of a person? Maybe you might feel that selling part of it would not be a good idea? best wishes, martin"

I won't comment - I think it's pretty obvious what most people will think