Ukraine Protects Banksy Murals With Special ‘Impact-Resistant’ Security System

Late last year, Banksy’s street artworks made an appearance in Ukraine, where the artist had left several paintings around the nation, including a poignant piece of a gymnast using rubble from a partially-destroyed building as a pommel horse.

Over a week later, a gang of thieves was taken down by local police in Kyiv while attempting to steal one of the seven murals—depicting a woman, clad in a bathrobe with curlers in her hair, who appears to be wearing a gas mask while holding onto a fire extinguisher.

According to The Odessa Journal, to protect the existing art pieces from further theft or wear and tear, authorities recently tapped on Ajax Systems to install an “impact resistant” glass security system to ensure the paintings remain in mint condition.

As per the security firm, Deputy Head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration Oleg Torkunov explained that Banksy’s art served as a reminder to the Ukrainian people that “light must overcome darkness.” Hence, the need for a security system that can counter possible vandalism or damage.

The security company constructed transparent polycarbonate walls around each artwork, complete with a “life quality” sensor that continuously measures the temperature and humidity of the area. In total, 20 sensors and four central security systems were used in the setup.

While it’s unclear how long these protections will remain in place, or how the local government is funding the operation, the system certainly seems impressive. Hubs can monitor sensors from up to over a mile and notify security if the alarm sounds in less than 0.15 seconds.

“It is important to resist possible vandalism attempts that have already happened. We are grateful to our partners and security engineers. They have found and delivered a successful solution in a challenging environment,” concluded Torkunov. 

[via Forbes and The Odessa Journal, images via various sources]