Shoreditch art venue protests demolition with new mural

Last week Hackney Council announced plans to demolish Shoreditch art venue The Foundry and construct an 18-storey hotel, but the community isn’t letting it go without a fight.

Banksy's knife-wielding rat.

Owners Jonathan and Tracey Moberly are appalled the council is working to save an early Banksy piece inside. The Foundry while ignoring the other pieces of art. In protest, an unnamed artist has created a beautiful new mural on the Foundry walls yesterday.

“We’re going to do a little experiment. We want to see if just the Banksy is saved,” said Moberly. “I would be pleased if it lasted a week. The council has been hit in the face by some headline news. So far the mural is still there.”

The Hackney council’s report refers to The Foundry as a ‘bar’ rather than an artistic space, which would require the council to relocate the premises.

“We’re disgusted that in 100 pages they referred to us as a bar and not an art venue,” said owner Jonathan Moberly. “Someone could have taken the effort to walk down to the bloody site to see what’s going on. It is a real kick to the teeth to the community.”

Ironically, by the second page of the report, the council acknowledged the presence of the Banksy mural —a giant rat wielding a knife and fork.

“We think they did it conspiratorially. If they were to acknowledge we were an art venue they would have their own regulations to deal with. Now they can argue there are fifty over bars in Shoreditch so The Foundry doesn’t matter.”

Banksy also began an art project on one of the corridors inside, and the Tate Modern is negotiating talks to relocate the wall.

“Bansky himself is sickened by the policy. He doesn’t even like that rat.”