Mystery art installation appears at Packsaddle Fields

An art installation that appeared at Packsaddle Fields recently has sparked mystery among residents, weeks after Somerset Council fenced off the land.

The installation appeared at the site and remained in place for around a week. Signed ‘Packsy’ – an apparent nod to anonymous street artist Banksy – it featured a mannequin of a man in boxer shorts with the Somerset Council logo covering his face. The figure was shown pointing towards a woman sitting in a chair holding a baby.

The words ‘money talks’ and ‘dirty cash’ were written on the mannequin’s leg.

One resident from the Packsaddle area, Denise, said the installation seemed to represent someone in authority telling the woman to leave the field.

She said, “We don’t know who is responsible for this and it remains anonymous. The installation is more than art. It is a response to process, power and persistence. It asserts that land, law and community are inseparable and that when official narratives drift too far from lived reality, people will speak in other languages: imagery, symbolism, and presence.”

Somerset Council fenced off the land earlier this year following legal pressure from housing association LiveWest after plans to build homes on the site were refused.

The closure of the fields, on Frome’s northern edge, sparked anger among some residents. Around 220 people, including local councillors, gathered at the site in March to protest.