TOW #7: Banksy Graffiti (Visual Text)

     Banksy is known throughout the world as an anonymous British graffiti artist who frequently paints thought-provoking—and sometimes controversial—images on the sides of buildings in popular urban areas like New York City and London. The interesting thing about Banksy is that he establishes credibility with his secretive persona; he can be anyone, and his graffiti therefore represents the mind of anyone. One recent image that has been painted in New York City is a depiction of a man scrubbing the phrase "What we do in life echoes in Eternity" off of the wall. The irony created by this picture helps Banksy achieve his purpose of illustrating the minds of the common man.
     The phrase "What we do in life echoes in Eternity" represents the American dream: to achieve such great things that the world will remember your name forever. The phrase is written in loose, curly, pink writing, as if goals are easily and readily accomplished. This perfect idea of a dream has been repeated throughout history, yet the man in the picture is ironically scrubbing it away with a sponge. The man represents the present-day portrayal of the American dream: goals cannot simply be managed with ease, but with hard work and patience, everything pays off. If "What we do in life echoes in Eternity" was written in big, thick, black block letters, it would not be as easy to remove as the pink, curly message. Since Banksy's pictures are broadcasted on the streets of crowded cities, his audience is made up of anyone with opinions—working men and women, children, teenagers in the city, and many others. His thoughts connect with the thoughts of his audience because, just like them, he is a regular person with his own perspective on life.

Everlasting Remembrance

Banksy's depiction of a man scrubbing an inspirational phrase off of a building properly portrays the past and present ideas of the American dream

(Picture source: http://www.banksyny.com/)