Kishwar Desai | Graffiti art cheers post-riots London; Edinburgh is back, but with 'warnings'
After a summer of the worst riots ever, it was a time to introspect and think about who lights these sudden fires. And how quickly the social fabric of a stable nation can be torn down. People were still in shock and mourning over the deaths of the girls in Southport and then the egregious violence which followed made everything so much worse: largely due to falsehoods being spread on social media.
Thus, we needed some diversion — and it came in a form of a bit of playful intervention from the artist, Banksy, who has remained a mysterious commentator on our times and on the art world. Banksy, in the last week or so has unveiled a series of graffiti — animal themed “artworks” all over the city. Perhaps to remind us of the wonder of the natural world — even as we struggle to deal with the trauma of the real, conflicted world. So he has spray-painted on the walls and buildings all over the city — monkeys, pelicans, rhinos, gorillas, elephants, cleverly merging real objects into the art giving it a very unique 3-D effect, which is his trademark. Thus, upon two real bricked up windows in a house, he has painted two elephants seemingly entangled in a trunk call. Then over a parked car on a street he has drawn a leaping rhino, and my favourite — painted on shutters — depicts a gorilla lifting a carpet to release butterflies. All the art works are simple and yet very clever.
But not everyone has followed the Banksy principle of making art accessible. While a few artworks have been vandalised with counter graffiti — a rather clever Banksy graffiti which had a wolf painted on a satellite dish was stolen within hours of being set up. Perhaps that sly comment on the television networks really hit hard!
No one knows the identity of the artist who remains shrouded in mystery — but one can only be grateful to him for changing the discourse from a very difficult and depressing time — to something rather more intriguing, and thoughtful.
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Undoubtedly it has been a very tough time for the new government. Even before they could settle down came the Southport stabbings and the need to clamp down on the ultra-right-wing rioters and looters who took advantage of the febrile situation. Thus, we have even seen children in their teens appearing in court and being convicted. Even though the prisons are already overcrowded everyone felt the time had come to lock up the looters. Fortunately for all, the new Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer, had dealt with such situations in his previous avatar — especially when riots had broken out in 2011, and he has been able to bring some peace into our lives.
Also what was very heartening for so many of us was sight of many “right thinking “ (not ultra-right) citizens who came onto the streets and fearlessly confronted the thugs who thought that they could capitalise on the anti-migrant sentiments that they were trying to whip up. The pro-unity demonstrations were truly reassuring for so many who make up the rich multicultural fabric of the country today — and for those who come from diverse backgrounds and are of all colours and races. It was great to see that the majority of people in the country are anti-racist and hold the “right” values. And they were unafraid to come onto the streets to show their solidarity with people of other races and religions — and even asylum seekers. It was very touching for many — and let us hope that this peace between the communities holds firm.
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It is summer time and so festivals are the talk of the town. The Edinburgh Festival has now become a globally attractive event. From humble beginnings, now it attracts so many participants that choosing between events is a challenge.
The only annoyance nowadays is the number of mandatory “trigger warnings” that come before performances, in case people are offended or become unwell due to what they have been exposed to. Today’s audiences are apparently so sensitive that they have to be alerted about all possible reactions. Thus, in a stand-up comedy show, they are even warned about the likelihood of “audience participation”. Other performances warn the audience to be prepared for “surprise entrances” or that there may be actors “with marginalised genders”. Even in a Shakespeare comedy where Falstaff figures you are warned that some dialogue involves “body shaming”. There are warnings about adult themes such as “heavy drinking”. You wonder what sort of delicate souls go to watch these shows. But they still go by the scores so I am sure Edinburgh Festival is well worth a visit.
Thus if you just want a straightforward joyful show, just go to Regents Park theatre in London and watch Fiddler on the Roof, the classic musical which will lift your spirits with its lively songs and comic turns.