In a bittersweet ending to this saga, the ad agency that painted over an iconic Newtown mural without council permission has been fined $6,000.
A spokesperson for the Inner West Council confirmed to PEDESTRIAN.TV this morning that they had fined Apparition Media for painting over the much-beloved and longstanding mural, ‘It’s Like A Jungle Sometimes‘.
The agency had painted over the mural with an ad for Darren Aronofsky‘s new film mother!, which was quickly defaced from angered members of the community.
So #mothermovie painted over a longstanding mural in Newtown to spruik their movie without approval. Residents are not amused. (via FB) pic.twitter.com/QLcb5OGlYC
— David Olsen (@DDsD) September 5, 2017
After backlash, the agency apologised, and agreed to work with the artist to restore the original piece, which was a tribute to a friend who died by suicide.
At present, the mural space is a giant ad to Lifeline, which Apparition Media says is at the request of the artist.
This is only a stopgap, however, with the idea being that the wall will return to its original glory.
“The artist is designing the mural, which will be essentially the same with a couple of small additions,” Apparition Media wrote on Instagram. “We are helping him paint it.”