Banksy Turf War,

Dalston, London E8 July 18th to 20th, 2003

The location for Banksy’s Turf War was kept secret until just  a day before the event. An email gave an address in Dalston, East London. And all of a sudden half of the East End’s new media community (basically all of those who didn’t go to the party the night before) were off to the venue – a disused warehouse in Kingsland Road.

 I feel obliged to state here for the record: I don’t work in advertising (or new media). I don’t have a Hoxton Fin nor did I walk about the exhibition talking into my phone saying “Yah, you really should get down here, it’s sooo cool”.

Banksy Turf War pallet sign

No window display is complete without a dummy. This one supplied Banksy’s visual trick with “uck tha police” turning into “good luck to tha police” depending on where you were standing. Articulating many peoples concerns someone had sprayed “Banksy is a fucking sellout” across the front of the window display in a fetching pink colour. Hmm, this could have even been done by Banksy himself.

Banksy Turf War Window Display

Smile, you are being recorded for posterity

Banksy CCTV Notice at Turf War

Apparently the party the night before was pretty wild and this cop must have lost his wings.

Banksy Wingless Copper

Turf War featured live animals and as a result a animal rights protester or two turned up, with one chaining herself to the railings around the cows. Naturally the police turned up.

 

They seemed a little bit bemused. They probably weren’t expecting to deal with a chained up animal rights protestor at an impromptu art exhibition full of cop images when they clocked on that morning.

Police on site at Turf War

Life imitating art