Unless required for work or family reasons, many Londoners balk at the prospect of journeying to the other side of their city. Localism or laziness are often at play. So if you ever wish to check the status of your relationship with a Londoner, there’s a simple test we believe is about 50% reliable: In case that person is based in West London, suggest meeting up for drinks in East London (or vice versa). And if they live north of the River Thames, invite them to a venue in South London (or vice versa). Afterwards, you may decide that one name on your ‘Friends List’ needs to be relegated to the ‘Acquaintances List’.
While plenty of artists have loyal followers, there aren’t many who could repeatedly persuade their fans to travel — especially to unfamiliar, out-of-the-way destinations. Banksy, however, has consistently been able to get people trekking. This is testament to a crowd-pulling ability that seems unique in the art world. Which other artist could coax their supporters to visit places including Bethlehem (Santa’s Ghetto 2007; Walled Off Hotel 2017–present), Weston-super-Mare (Dismaland 2015), and now Croydon?
As covered here a few days ago, the homewares store called Gross Domestic Product™ is Banksy’s latest enterprise. Its closed-door showroom can be viewed from the street “for a few weeks only” at 16–20 Church Street (corner of Frith Road), Croydon. [The limited and unlimited edition products on display will only be available to purchase online via the GDP website. At the time of writing, that site continued to state “Opening soon”.]
With passports in hand on the night of 2 October, AM ventured south to London fare zone 5 to take close-up photos of Banksy’s shop window. Zone 5. Crikey. Surely that must place us on the ‘Best Mates List’.
Photo credit and text: Patrick Nguyen.
Source: arrestedmotion
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