Dezeen Magazine

Banksy adds Steve Jobs mural to refugee camp made from Dismaland remains

Banksy has graffitied an image of Apple founder Steve Jobs as a refugee at a camp in Calais, which was added to with materials left over from the street artist's temporary theme park Dismaland.

Steve Jobs mural by Banksy

Banksy's mural at the Jungle camp shows Jobs in his signature black polo neck, holding an early Apple computer in one hand while slinging a black sack over his shoulder. The American tech company founder, who died in 2011, was the son of a Syrian migrant.

Steve Jobs mural by Banksy

"We're often led to believe migration is a drain on the country's resources but Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant," said the artist, whose works include murals created to mark the London 2012 Olympics.

"Apple is the world's most profitable company, it pays over $7 billion (£4.6 billion) a year in taxes – and it only exists because they allowed in a young man from Homs," he added.

Steve Jobs mural by Banksy

Since closing his Dismaland "bemusement park" in September, the artist has sent wood and fixtures from the park's dismantled castle to the Jungle refugee camp, which reportedly houses around 7,000 refugees.

The artist announced his decision on his website with an image of the camp superimposed by a second image of the castle.

Steve Jobs mural by Banksy

"All the timber and fixtures from Dismaland are being sent to the Jungle refugee camp near Calais to build shelters," he said. "No online tickets are available."

According to the Dismaland site, the materials have already been used in 12 dwellings, a community area and a children's play park.

Steve Jobs mural by Banksy

Western Europe is experiencing a mass influx of refugees displaced by conflict in the Middle East and north Africa. The camp in Calais for those trying to reach the UK has quadrupled in size since the summer.

Last month, one of the world's leading authorities on humanitarian aid said governments should stop thinking about refugee camps as temporary places. The 2016 Venice Biennale director Alejandro Aravena also said that refugee tents are a waste of money, and called for investment into more permanent disaster relief shelters.

Steve Jobs mural by Banksy

Banksy opened the Dismaland attraction at a derelict lido in Somerset in August 2015. It was designed as a cynical take on the Disneyland entertainment resorts and attracted 150,000 visitors over a five-week period.

The site featured a structure modelled on Disney's Cinderella castle, sculptures that look like the distorted character's from the company's animated films, a semi-capsized police-van slide and a giant pinwheel. Artworks from names including Jenny Holzer and David Shrigley were also exhibited.

Steve Jobs mural by Banksy

The artist described it as "an alternative to the soulless sugar-coated banality of the average family day out".