Wall and peace Artwork solution after threat of £20,000 tag fine
ABEDMINSTER business faced a hefty fine after “unsightly” graffiti appeared on its building – so commissioned a stunning mural to cover it up.
Graphic design firm Artworks received a letter from Bristol City Council in July, threatening a penalty of up to £20,000 if it did not remove graffiti tags from the wall of its manufacturing site.
Managing director Seath Herbert was frustrated – particularly given vandals had scrawled the tags in Dalby Avenue car park, which is run by a company with no link to Artworks.
But he found a creative solution, hiring local artist Luke Palmer – also known as Acerone – to paint a new work on the wall.
Mr Herbert, 50, said: “The resulting mural is a fantasy landscape of the local area complete with geometric Bedminster lettering.
“It has not only fixed our issue but added an amazing injection of colour into an otherwise drab corner of Bedminster.”
The lettering it replaced had been on the wall for about six months, Mr Herbert added.
He said: “It wasn’t the most creative of street art, not aesthetically pleasing at all – quite poor.
“It is quite a troubled spot, a bit of a barren space. It’s had problems with fly-tipping as well.”
The council’s letter in July complained about the “detrimental effect” of the “very unsightly” tagging on locals’ quality of life. It told Artworks to remove the lettering and consider anti-graffiti paint – warning failure to do so could result in a fine of up to £20,000.
Mr Herbert said: “With the current economic climate we thought the timing from the council was rather poor. Running a business during these times is difficult enough without the threat of a fine hanging over us.”
He approached a cleaning company but was told the costs of removal and graffiti protection would run into the thousands.
Instead, Artworks reached out to a Bristol-based street artist it had worked with in the past – Mr Palmer.
The council gave the go-ahead for a mural to replace the tagging, though Mr Herbert says there has been no apology for the threat of a fine.
Mr Palmer took about five days to finish it in November, negotiating some weather-related delays.
Mr Herbert said: “The art is about the local area and highlights that this is a creative space. It really has made a difference – people have been getting photos taken in front of it.”
Artworks, which has around 50 staff, has received great feedback on the mural from the local community, says its creative director Chris Marshall.
“It’s put a bit of colour in an otherwise pretty dull car park, and given a local artist a bit of exposure and work during the pandemic,” he said.
A spokesman for the council defended its letter to Artworks.
He said: “Graffiti on a public or private wall without permission is illegal, unsightly, costs time and public money to investigate and clear up. Making the city a cleaner, more pleasant place to live and work remains a top priority for residents and the council.
“As we have done with a number of commercial properties throughout Bedminster, the owners were [sent] an initial warning letter about the graffiti on their property and had been given time and support to remove it.
“Fines are only considered as a last resort with the Mayor’s Clean Streets campaign pledging to work with communities and businesses to help with graffiti removal. In this case we acknowledge the creativity used to help resolve this issue.
“We will not tolerate graffiti vandalism and are taking action to tackle this problem including prosecuting anyone caught tagging public spaces.”
❝It has not only fixed our issue but added an amazing injection of colour into an otherwise drab corner of Bedminster
Seath Herbert