Slave Labour

Banksy’s mural ‘Slave Labour’ once stood on the side wall of a Poundland store in Wood Green, a busy north London shopping street. The small brick building sits among shops and cafés, its plain wall turned into a powerful image. The artist painted a child at a sewing machine, stitching bunting from Union Jack flags. It was made in May 2012 as a protest against sweatshop labour producing souvenirs for the Diamond Jubilee and London Olympics. The mural measured about one and a quarter metres high and one and a half metres wide. The artwork became famous not only for its striking design but also for the controversy that followed its removal. In February 2013 part of the wall was taken down and the mural was listed for sale in the United States. Residents of Wood Green objected strongly, believing the work belonged to the community. After public pressure the mural was withdrawn from auction and returned to London. It was later sold at an auction in Covent Garden for over £750,000. Today the space where the mural once stood shows traces of its past. A stencil of a rat holding a sign saying ‘Why?’ appeared nearby, thought by some to be a message from Banksy. A second message, ‘Danger Thieves,’ was painted to the left. The area remains a quiet corner of a busy street, but the story of the mural keeps it in local memory. The wall itself is now plain again, but the protest it once carried still echoes in the neighbourhood.