A reader got in touch earlier today to say he’d seen a new Banksy work in progress over on the railings on Eastville Roundabout on the M32 (Junction 3).
Headed over to check it out, and whilst it’s probably not a Banksy, it is pretty clever, though the exact terminology for what it is escapes the mind right now…
Here it is from inside the pedestrian area of the roundabout (looking towards Eastville Park). Can’t see anything at all.
Go through the pedestrian tunnel and, by the lane that comes into Bristol from the M4, there it is, a ‘KSY’, done very carefully so you really can only see it from pretty much the angle of a car.
Hope you’ll forgive dear reader, but figured good blog photos are rarely taken from the middle of a three lane motorway, so this is the best as could be done.
Spot the immediate problem? Banksy has used at least one different font for stencil style tags before now, but never seen one like that, so doubtful. Odd not to finish it in one go too if it is him, given the team he’s now got.
Still though, a cool idea doing a piece like that, so as it’s hidden most of the time.
Lenticular, that’s it. Knew there was a word for it. Or it’s at least a demi-lenticular. Anyhoo, if anyone sees or knows anything more about it, do comment away!
UPDATE: Currently chatting to a friend who works in traffic at the council, he reckons the whole name is there if you drive past, and whoever did it totally understands the special type of railing (‘visirailing’) it’s been done on, and the distance between the railings. Hmm, curiouser and curiouser!
Bristol graffiti 
Questionable because if Banksy (or anyone who makes social/politically charged art) was going to appeal only to motorists, wouldn’t he uh… have something better to say than his own name? Like “try walking” et al? I mean come on.
I say no. I hate things like this, because you know that the Evening Post/BBC Bristol will be all over it like white on rice, and they’ll ask some “expert” and obviously it will be legit because that “expert” says so.
This clearly isn’t a Banksy, and totally agree with you there Natali, any new piece of graffiti thesedays seems to be credited to Banksy straightaway.
that still leaves the question of who has done it, what it means, and why there?
Reminds me a little of when Chopper tagged the Statue of Judgement with luminous paint.
It’s kinda sad that there’s people doing fake Banksys or, even worse, just signing his name in a style is not even his.
The technique is indeed clever, but as Natali says, why not saying something actually clever instead?
Did anyone figure out who did this?
Nope, still an unknown it seems.
Pity. Thanks anyway.
It did say “BANKSY” but some of the letters have been peeled off. Probably nicked by someone hoping to make a mint on eBay.
Was thinking of subvertising it to read something imaginative like “WANKSY”.
That prick gets everywhere in Bristol, making the place look untidy.
Bruce
Not seen any photos of it fully saying Banksy, and these photos are pretty much from when it went up as far as can be told. Nothing’s turned up on the usual places stuff like that would go for sale either. Surely they would have nicked the rest as well, at least over time?
Asking around, the well informed consensus is that its not him, and it hasn’t appeared on his website yet either. Don’t forget it’s right by the M32 painting spot of many years, he’s far from the only artist that visits that spot. It’d also be the first time he’s used cut up stickers for a piece, and haven’t seen him use just the name as a tag without an associated image or piece since the early 2000’s or so.
So, in the face of any evidence on the other side, do really doubt it.
If you looked closley you could see where someone had tried to peel off the other parts of the stickers that are still there, and then given up.
The jury is out on this one then… but in the words of Spartacus, “I’m Banksy!”.
Bruce