Censorship of funded artwork ‘protected our reputation’, council says

A local authority that covered up part of a funded artwork it considered offensive says it was necessary to protect its reputation.

Artist Christopher Spencer, who works under the name Cold War Steve, said he was upset by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Councillor Mark Howell's claim that his contribution to the Arts by the Sea Festival "portrays Bournemouth residents and the town in a negative light".

According to the artist, the 25-metre-long windbreaker was designed as a diptych: one side depicts "the positive characteristics and values of the country"; the other a "darker, but humorous, reminder of our current national sources of shame and embarrassment". Those include Nigel Farage, Dominic Cummings and Rupert Murdoch, as well as a naked Boris Johnson.

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Cold War Steve said the censorship whitewashes "the failure of political leadership". He has released images of both sides of the windbreaker online and said he looks forward to hearing people's views on the sides of the artwork they can and can't see publicly: "Someone else made that decision for them, sadly."

A section of the council-approved side of Cold War Steve's work

The council is not backing down.

Howell, Acting Leader and Portfolio Holder for Culture, said he felt the dystopian side of the artwork "risks causing further division at a time when we need to come together as a population".

"Artists are free to produce controversial work, and doing so often increases their profile. However, as a council, we have a duty to protect the reputation of our towns and their residents, and not to give the perception that we support any particular viewpoint."

He told ITV: "It was a privilege to be granted this opportunity and we think the artist has pushed the boundaries too far."

Thrown under the bus?

Howell said the council had been promised the artwork would be "playful" but did not like the commission, which it had planned to exhibit for free.

The festival, a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England since 2015, is part-funded by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP). Its management team includes council officers, who raised the alarm a few days before it was installed on Boscombe beach.

Despite regular meetings and reports to the council during the festival's development, council officers only saw the final piece last week.

Conservatives lost their majority of BCP council seats at the last election, but are still the largest bloc, with Liberal Democrats second.

A council spokesperson said BCP has no policy around if, or when, it steps in on artistic programming decisions.

"Artistic programming decisions are normally left up to the festival organisers but are referred to the council where its reputation may be affected."

On Twitter, commentators lamented what they viewed as an infringement of free speech. 

One local arts worker questioned why the festival would knowingly book a political artist if it didn't want political content, and asked whether Cold War Steve had been "thrown under the bus" by Arts by the Sea organisers.

When approached for further comment, the person declined because they receive council funding.

Festival Director Andrea Francis said: "As a local authority-produced festival, we understand the council's position."

"The aim of the festival remains to bring an accessible and diverse range of art into … public spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy for free."

Further comment from the festival released via the council said it tries to strike a balance between "the art we would choose to programme and the views of the elected members, who represent the people who live here".

Not a one-off

While it is unusual for councils to make artistic programming decisions, it is not unheard of: ArtsProfessional reported in November last year that the Head of Middlesbrough Town Hall resigned in protest after Mayor Andy Preston allegedly demanded the venue book comedian Roy Chubby Brown.

Cold War Steve's work has stoked controvery in the past. Last week, a piece on display in Medway was torn off its stand and thrown into the river.

The artist said he had intended to "start a conconversation, raise some eyebrows and the odd smile too".

"It inspired one person to rip the artwork down and throw it in the river, which is a shame, strong feelings of a different kind, I suppose."