Ah, the Welsh. Hitched on to the left of England, the home of my ancestors is a beguiling place, jam-packed with fewer vowels than you could possibly comprehend, plenty of rugby and the undying love of a beverage. And hey, now they’re got a Banksy original.
Except that pesky love of a beverage has caused some strife for the new mural, which surfaced in the small town of Port Talbot in South Wales this week.
Believed to be a social commentary on how the steelworks industry is damaging the town with a layer of expended ash, the mural is currently protected by extensive fencing, a protective plastic screen and a security guard who is paid for, at least in part, by Hollywood star Michael Sheen. Because of course it was.
And yet according to a post on the Neath Port Talbot Life Facebook page, it has suffered an attempted ravaging by “drunk halfwits”.
Given the value of a Banksy original it should come as no surprise that the town has it under protection, but wouldn’t you just pay any money to see some tired, grumbly security guard hurtling after a pack of drunk idiots as they stumble down a nondescript country lane?
The mural itself sits on the corner of an unassuming garage, with one side of the wall depicting a child playing in what appears to be snow, until you turn the corner and realise it’s a bunch of soot, smoke and ash from a trash fire. So really, it’s 2018 in an image.
And if there was ever any doubt as to the authenticity of the mural, it can be allayed by the posting of the mural on Banksy’s official Instagram, with what can only be described as an excessively creepy sounding children’s carol about snowflakes that makes the mural’s title of ‘Seasons Greetings’ feel particularly ominous.
Credit to the Welsh – sure they’ve got some daring drunkards out there, but the rallying cry of a town Facebook page is simply too much for intoxicated schemers to handle.
Iechyd da to that.
