Spotted. A woman falling down a building in Mayfair, her shopping trolley with her. On the other side of the city in Canary Warf a written message can be seen: ‘Sorry! The lifestyle you ordered is currently out of stock.’ The two marks of graffiti are thought to have been left by Banksy, possibly reminding the wealthy and the financial elite about the recession.

More recently, Banksy, by way of his website, has presented us with a sculpture entitled ‘Fallen.’ It is an image of a broken Roman soldier statue next to a wet floor sign. Perhaps it links with the woman falling in Chelsea? Or maybe (taking the idea of the recession into account), ignorance of warning signs leading nations to fall, i.e. the eurozone crisis. The Roman dress is a cold reminder that even the Roman empire was sacked by the Goths, a cold warning to western civilisation from a great power that has already fallen.

However, Rome, while once a world empire, it is today a nice holiday destination and perhaps, if we’re lucky, the recession will evolve into expansion.

Merry Christmas! Cindy V x