Dear Banksy: Port Talbot doesn't deserve to be an emblem of the global pollution crisis

The idea of a cloaked man depositing gifts in the dead of night seems entirely appropriate for the time of year, but as the residents of Port Talbot stirred yesterday, that Christmas morning feeling came courtesy of the world’s most famous graffiti artist and not St. Nick.

A mural painted onto a local garage was being frantically shared across social media and, by midday, Banksy had confirmed ownership of the work via a video on his official Instagram account.

The mural depicts a boy, dressed for snow and armed with a sledge, playing in falling ash from a nearby burning skip. True to Banksy’s signature cynical style, the work seems to allude to concepts of naivety, political chaos, and deprivation.

But as the video pans over the silhouette of Port Talbot steelworks, the message becomes clear: Banksy has something to say about our global pollution crisis, and he is using my home town as his backdrop. But is this justified?

It is true that you can’t ignore the environmental effect of heavy industry in this town: the Taibach area was on the news just the other month, when residents claimed that fallout from the works had covered gardens, cars, and even pets.

But when the World Health Organisation named Port Talbot as “the most polluted town in the UK” back in April, Neath Port Talbot council quickly realised something wasn’t right. The WHO had estimated our air pollution levels to be 18 micrograms per cubic metre, above those of cities like London (14) and Liverpool (12).

However, an oversight in the data actually meant the air pollution level was measured at 9.6853, which is below the national guideline of 10: no small feat for a town that hosts the M4 and one of the biggest steel plants in Europe.

Despite a public apology from the WHO, Banksy’s latest work seems to prove that the title has stuck.

But Port Talbot Steelworks is not a microcosm of the global pollution crisis. If Banksy wants to critique our nation’s response to climate change, he might have considered putting the mural on the side of the Houses of Parliament, instead of seeming to demonise the economic and social backbone of Port Talbot.

Do not misunderstand me: outside of the message it sends to the rest of the world, I couldn’t be prouder that Banksy has acknowledged the rugged beauty and creative potential of my town. And, in fact, Port Talbot is building a reputation as place where art is a vehicle for exploring all the contradictions of life in a small, working-class, industrial town.

Over the last 10 years a town which counts Richard Burton, Michael Sheen, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Rob Brydon amongst its sons has begun to boldly tell the story of itself. There is something in the air here, but it’s not the steelworks-induced smog.

Easter Weekend 2011 saw the epic production of The Passion, a 72-hour tour de force of participatory theatre that had an immeasurable impact on the town. From beach to mountain, the entirety of Port Talbot formed a stage for Michael Sheen’s Christ-like character, and everyone was invited. Tales of destruction and exploitation were told alongside true representations of the complex beauty of life in a working-class, Welsh industrial town, and I felt represented.

And in 2017, a new production called We Are Still Here brought together a cast that integrated real-life steelworkers with professional actors. At a time when emotions were running high, sharing in anger, camaraderie and humour was a cathartic experience.

That performance included the line: “If you can smell sulphur in the air, it means someone in Port Talbot is getting paid.” This was ambitious theatre capturing the bittersweet reality of life here, and until real solutions for alternative employment and greener industry are implemented in Port Talbot, I know I’ll keep celebrating the industrial wheels that keep our town turning.