Banksy, the artist we wrote about in a post last weekend, struck again this Monday night. The owner of a small pharmacy in Islington (a London borough) locked up on Monday and when he returned on Tuesday morning, a Banksy painting (at right) graced his wall. It’s estimated to be worth 300,000 GBP. That’s quite a gift out of the blue and probably more than this pharmacist has in the bank. It seems that the owner is entertaining bids for the work to be removed so G and I ventured out this AM to take a look before it disappears.
This work shows two children paying allegiance to a Tesco bag as it’s hoisted up on a “flag pole”–a pole and what appears to be a bell casing that was originally on the wall before the Banksy was installed. Obviously a statement about plastic bag use in England that ties back to a very active debate. Apparently, the plastic bags that Tesco (the English version of what WalMart is to America) and many other groceries take 1000 years to decay. And Parliament has been asked to do something to encourage residents to reuse bag, eliminate their use, etc. Many stores have moved to charging you for each bag. And our Waitrose delivery service has changed to biodegradable bags that they reuse–they just collect your old bags when they come out to deliver your new goods. I love Waitrose delivery!
The owner has protected his new nest egg with plexi, but the effect is still nice.
Then, as we walked toward the bus stop, there was this adorable little cafe. We stopped in, learned it was a Turkish cafe and had amazing Apple Tea. So good, in fact, that we purchased our very own box of it. Yum.
Hmmm…I love the edginess of East London and Islington. After exploring East London last weekend and Islington today, I’m tempted to move. They’re not as plush, green or safe as Belsize Park, but they certainly seem more interesting. How cool it would be to walk down stairs for a nice apple tea at the Turkish cafe on Sundays instead of up to Starbucks.
G–are you listening? 🙂