In the eye of the beholder

Art is a subjective thing, so it shouldn’t be surprising that opinions vary on the ‘art’ that now adorns the hoardings surrounding the barracks in the Railway Village. What’s more surprising is that Mr Perkins seems not to be aware of these differing views.

It’s a remarkable piece of artwork. There is a difference between graffiti and street art. I haven’t heard any complaints about this art. It lightens up the area. And now the talented artists are looking for other areas to show their work. It really is very high quality work.

If he hasn’t heard any complaints, perhaps he should try listening: it’s something councillors should try from time-to-time. I’ve heard several comments about the ‘art’ and none of them have shared Mr Perkins’ view. The closest any have come to praise is to observe that it’s better than the plain white hoardings surrounding the numerous demolition sites in central Swindon.

Yes, there’s a difference between street art and graffiti, but there is similar ‘street art’ in Swindon that has been illegally produced without the permission of the owners of the walls and fences it is on. Whilst this particular example is better than the tagging that would no doubt have appeared if the hoarding had been left painted plain white, encouraging this sort of decoration needs to be done with caution to avoid similar illegal defacement elsewhere.