These two pieces of graffiti are among Banksy’s earliest works in the British capital, located in the courtyard of the night club Cargo in the heart of Shoreditch, now protected with perspex. This courtyard is a hub for various well-known graffiti artists, including French artists C215 and Thierry Noir, Israeli artists from Broken Fingaz Crew and the Italian artist, Ozmo. Banksy acknowledges Rivington Street’s legacy in Designated Graffitti Area, also known as Guard Dog, with the ironic, self-explanatory text. The figurative element, Guard Dog is a mockery of the police and the authorities, depicting a policeman and his poodle on patrol in a designated graffiti area.
His Master’s Voice, also referred to as HMV Dog, was released as a print in 2003 and makes a pop culture reference to the logo of music shop HMV, designed after a painting by Francis Barraud. Banksy’s work features a dog pointing a bazooka towards a gramophone. The image highlights the contrast between conservatism represented by the vintage gramophone and progressive youth ideals embodied by the rebel animal.
The HMV logo, moreover, will be recognisable given the shop’s turbulent affairs in recent years—having monopolised on the counter-culture of record shops, it has since succumbed to economic difficulties as a result of its mainstream consumerism. Banksy pokes fun at the company’s troubles, but likely also makes a genuine remark on the demise of British high streets.
Banksy’s anti-establishment attitudes have always been rooted in reference to counter-cultural music genres, for example, as in Grannies.