I have wanted to start a blog for ages but was looking for an excuse and a hint of creative drama so, what better night to start than following my visit to Lambeth Palace for Banksy’s screening of ‘Exit through the gift shop’. Lambeth Palace, a make shift cinema, was set up for an exclusive two week period in a mysterious tunnel previously used for Banksy’s Can Festival back in 2008.
This was my first visit in what appeared to be a secret tunnel nestled in a dark and damp alley in Waterloo, covered wall to wall with graffiti. Totally immersed in colour, political statements and designs, I couldn’t wait to see what the elusive Banksy had in store!
Walking through ‘The Tunnel’ to Lambeth Palace…
Some of my favourites…
Now – I warn you! If you are going to see the screening and still want to be surprised then look away now!
I was so excited by the fact that I really didn’t know what to expect! As I made my way into the gallery area the first thing I thought was I’d been invited to V’s house (as in ‘V for vendetta’). Highly amused by the playful sign above the old school seating area, it read ‘Paranoid pictures’. I sat facing the coolest Mr Whippy van, decked with a replica of the Mona Lisa and selling popcorn for three times less than the Odeon – good on you Banksy!
These have to be the coolest underground toilets!
Yes, these hot dogs are really moving!
Plus lets not forget the lion..
Exit through the gift shop kept me in suspense throughout – it was all about the journeys of Thierry Guetta, a quirky Frenchman who went from being a random guy with a camera to ‘Mr Brainwash’ street artist! He began filming his cousin the ‘Invader’, a street artist responsible for pasting Space Invader characters on random buildings around the world.
Thierry spent hours and hours filming street artists including Shepard Fairey, the guy responsible for the Barrack Obama ‘Hope Poster’. Thierry became addicted to taping but had no clue what he was going to do with the thousands of tapes he had stored away in boxes. You will have to wait and see what actually happened to the tapes as I dont wanna give it all away!
Thierry’s obsessive and hilariously funny nature is certainly infectious. He becomes obsessed with meeting Banksy and eventually the two become great friends – they even venture to Disneyland together to spread a meaningful political message!
I would say my favourite part of the night had to be the sound of the train passing overhead whilst watching key parts of the film, and the air of mystery in the thought that Banksy himself could be there, curiously watching us!
And finally, as I’m sucker for ‘and the moral of the story is’ I took away so many things. The movie was a stab at art world hype and full of pokes towards artists going mass, mainstream and commercial. On the other hand, I left feeling inspired and armed with the belief that even if you don’t know what you are passionate for, simply being passionate and never taking no for an answer will always get you somewhere!
My mum (Lizaoncanvas) is the Banksy in our house and I’m the Thierry marketing lady! Her creativity inspires me every day to the point where I find myself quietly drawing and painting. I am no way as talented as she is and therefore I may be better off sticking to creative direction like Thierry! So here’s to the creative people who surround us and who make us delve deeper and look further into how colourful life truly is and can be.
Exit through the gift shop is due to be released on 5th March in cinemas so be sure to check it out yourselves!
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