THE self-proclaimed “Brighton bin strike Banksy” has turned rubbish into art, fashion and even a political statement.
A spoof video has been released depicting a man dressed in an outfit made entirely of rubbish found on Vernon Terrace in Brighton.
In the four-minute comedy clip, he creates artwork from piles of rubbish left on the streets during the two-week strike.
The footage sees Seven Dials actor Lewis Klein, 27, play Brighton’s Best Gallery chief curator Jamie Phillips.
In the video he can be heard insisting: “This is modern art”.
“The bin men, the sexy, sexy bin men, have stood up to the government,” he added.
In the video, he titles one pile of rubbish draped in a Saint George’s Cross Colonialism, and another pile topped with medical syringes The NHS.
The film, which has more than 25,000 views, was posted on the satire-news page News You Can Trust.
Writers of the comedy script Ruari Barratt, from Preston Park, and Lana Garth, from Mile Oak, say they like to take local news and “give it an unexpected spin”.
Lana, 37, said: “Although no one wanted the inconvenience of the bin strike, it did transform bits of Brighton into an incredible set, which it would have been a shame to let go to waste.
“Although the rubbish piles were horrific, you have to admit they were pretty impressive.
“Also, even though the artworks in this video are a spoof, claiming piles of rubbish as your own creations is exactly the kind of thing that conceptual artists do, and get paid well for.
“People have been taking the video seriously, so it's obviously close enough to real life to hit a nerve, and that's great satire.”
The bin strike was officially ended after Brighton and Hove City Council and the GMB union agreed on a deal on Tuesday, October 19.
The video was shot on October 21 and 24.
In the video, Lewis can be seen strutting down a catwalk of rubbish and posing for fashion shots among the mess.
Lana, who also directed the video, said: “We make our videos to get people talking, and this time we've certainly managed that.
“When we were out filming I was expecting people to think we were making light of something that had negatively impacted their lives, but everyone we met got the joke.
“They wanted to be a part of it whether they were on the side of the striking binmen or not, and I think that says something about how people can come together online - through mutual dislike of something they don't even agree on.”
A passer-by is asked whether she believes a plastic bag-cladded Lewis is art during the video.
She said: “I think how you treat something means if it’s art or not.”
Lewis responds: “Trash is art. Art is trash. You heard it here first folks.”
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