“Shorrock” burglar alarm with dog sticker, Bristol, 2006 • This charming dog-stickered burglar alarm is my all time favourite – and, just possibly, a Banksy. At first I thought those were butterflies above the dreamy labrador’s head, but they’re coins dropping into a slot: it’s a drawing of an old-fashioned guide dog collection box, cleverly positioned on a Shorrock burglar alarm to make it read “Shock”. So, why do I think it’s a Banksy? Firstly, the style and pose of the dog’s head – that confident line and slightly wistful, upwards-tilted look is something I associate with a lot of his figures. Secondly, I found it in Bristol, which is where Banksy is from. Thirdly, Banksy often depicts dogs. And fourthly – well, there is no fourth, but I’ve just always just half-thought it was a Banksy, and enjoyed the mystery. I’ve now discovered that there was spate of these photocopied dog stickers in 2006, all with their bodies redrawn in strange ways (this is the least mutated I’ve found) – and one of them did have a Banksy logo on it. However these other versions looked amateur, and any fool can xerox a Banksy logo, so the jury remains out. It’s an interesting story, on which I’ll post a separate visual essay shortly. In the meantime, I still don’t know if this is a Banksy, but it’s certainly a one-off, and I’m glad I spotted it. (Update: I later discovered it wasn’t a Banksy – the full story is here.) • Spotted: Clifton area, Bristol, Avon, BS8, England, 2006 • Politics: In the Liberal Democrat constituency of Bristol West
Burglar Alarm Britain 