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Camden News - by SIMON WROE
Published: 26 June 2008

Home is where the art is, but residents want giant mural removed

WHEN French graffiti artist JR’s four-storey fly poster appeared overnight on the side of a listed building in Bloomsbury, residents were flummoxed. The property’s owner even fainted.
Five weeks on confusion continues to reign in Herbrand Street and, despite promises from the artwork’s commissioners to remove it within a week, the towering image is very much still there.
The property’s owner, Michael Bucknall, fears he will be forced to pay for the poster’s removal if action is not taken soon.
He said: “I really didn’t think this was going to be a problem. At first I was told the poster would come down by itself in 10 days. Then they said they would remove it in a week. They mustn’t be allowed to get away with it or there’ll be stuff up all over London.”
The Town Hall had previously promised to enforce the removal of the piece.
Bill Reed, chairman of the Bloomsbury Conservation Area Advisory Committee, said he was not surprised the mural was still up.
“While it’s natural that those who put the mural up want to keep it there as long as possible, we should also expect the council to make sure it isn’t, otherwise it would simply be inviting large-scale fly-posting throughout the borough,” he added.
Adam Siniarski, a tenant in the building, added: “If you leave it like this it’s going to look terrible in a few months. It’s already starting to peel. Destroy it or preserve it, but do something.”

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