Ukraine Installs High-Tech Security System To Preserve Banksy Paintings - Forbes

glass case seals the art piece that depicts a rhythmic gymnast performing the ribbon routine created by British artist Banksy on the wall of the apartment building affected by the shelling of Russian troops, Irpin, Kyiv Region, northern Ukraine. (Photo credit should read Evgen Kotenko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Future Publishing via Getty Images

The government of Ukraine has installed special “impact resistant” glass over several Banksy paintings that first started appearing on buildings in the country in the fall of 2022. The paintings, which have already been vandalized in some places, will also get wireless security camera protection that alerts authorities when someone is trying to alter or steal the paintings, according to a new report from the Washington Post.

The paintings started popping up late last year and were seen as a commentary on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which started exactly a year ago this coming Friday. Banksy is a semi-anonymous street artist from the UK whose artwork has sold for millions around the world, with his most expensive piece fetching over $25 million. And it’s that high price tag that makes Banksy’s art a target for thieves.

protective glass case seals the art piece that features a bearded man having a bathcreated by British artist Banksy on the wall of a five-storey apartment building destroyed by a Russian aerial bomb in March 2022, Horenka, Kyiv Region, northern Ukraine. (Photo credit should read Evgen Kotenko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Future Publishing via Getty Images

The security system was installed by Europe’s Ajax Systems, according to a machine-translated announcement by the local government in Kyiv.

Oleg Torkunov, a government official in the region, said Banksy’s art in the country was, “a reminder that light must overcome darkness.”

“Now it is important to counter possible attempts at vandalism, which we have already seen recently. And we are grateful to our partners, security engineers, who were able to find the most successful solution in difficult conditions and implement it,” Torkunov said.

by British street artist Banksy on a building destroyed by the Russian army in Borodyanka, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

The security company has even completely enclosed the work above, installing a “life quality” sensor to measure temperature and humidity. Below, you can see the work that was done to protect the art.

Shockproof walls seal the art piece that features a boy defeating an adult man in judo sparring by British artist Banksy on the wall of a building destroyed by Russian troops, Borodianka, Kyiv Region, northern Ukraine. (Photo credit should read Evgen Kotenko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Future Publishing via Getty Images

“To deploy such a protection system, 21 sensors and five central security systems were needed. Sensors are independent of constant power supply, and the main unit can be located in a remote room: the hub keeps in touch with the sensors at a distance of up to 1,700 meters and notifies the security company about the alarm in less than 0.15 seconds,” according to the government’s announcement, published online.

Banksy on a building destroyed by fighting in Borodyanka, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko)

Banksy’s art works in Borodyanka, Irpen and Gorenka have all had some version of Ajax’s security system installed, though it’s not immediately clear how long the protections may be in place, nor how much this protection is costing the local government.

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I’m a technology reporter and founder of Paleofuture.com, a website I started in 2007 that looks at past visions of the future, from flying cars and jetpacks to utopias and dystopias. Paleofuture was formerly hosted at Smithsonian magazine (2011-2013) and Gizmodo (2013-2020).

My work has appeared at BBC Future, Slate, The Verge, GOOD, Pacific Standard, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and Buzzfeed. Most recently, I was a senior writer at Gizmodo for ten years. I’ve also given talks at South by Southwest, dConstruct in Brighton, The Conference in Malmo, UCLA’s Digital Cash conference in Los Angeles, and the University of Virginia’s edUi conference. In 2012, I partnered with the BBC to put on an exhibit of retro-futuristic items from my personal collection in Hollywood, California.