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Two of Bristol’s leading creative companies have joined forces to create an easy-to-follow tour of the remaining pieces by legendary street artist Banksy.
Available to download on to a phone, the app uses Google maps to show the locations of 14 pieces, ranging from the well-known – such as Stokes Croft’s ‘Mild, Mild West’ and the Frogmore Street ‘Hanging Man’ – to some lesser known pieces which are off the beaten track.
Accompanying the locations of the pieces are short explanations detailing the history of the work, quotes from Banksy associates, and some theories of the meanings behind the pieces. The text has been written by two of Bristol’s foremost Banksy experts, Tangent Books’ Richard Jones, Publisher of ‘Banksy’s Bristol’, and Marc Leverton, author of ‘Banksy: Myths and Legends’.
There is an extended piece on the cultural impact of the Banksy vs Bristol Museum show of 2009, which further strengthened Banksy’s already legendary status in the city.
The app is aimed at visitors to Bristol who wish to see some original Banksy work for themselves, but also holds a few surprises for Banksy fans with some exclusive insights into the Bristolian artist’s work.
The app is collaboration between two cutting-edge companies in Bristol. Independent book publisher Tangent has published several books on Bristol’s vibrant underground culture. This is its first step into the area of digital publishing.
For help with the technical side of this Tangent brought in Gravitywell, a web development company based in South Bristol which has produced websites for the likes of Glastonbury Festival’s Arcadia, and an app for celebrity food and drink presenter Oz Clarke.
Richard Jones of Tangent said: “Apps are cheap, easy to download and give you the information there and then on your mobile. We will also be to offer updates and extra content, so should a piece be painted over as happened recently with the Stapleton Road gorilla we will be able to respond.”
