Verified source report
What am I bid for a blown-up van? The bizarre art auction aiming to build an eco power station in Reform-held Clacton
They blew up a van full of banknotes. They sold high-end Ukrainian vodka to Selfridges. Now art duo Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn are auctioning their past works – to launch their most ambitious project to date This Saturday, artists Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn are auctioning off their work from the past decade and a half. The reason? To help fund a community-led renewable power station in Nigel Farage’s Clacton constituency. Former YBA Gavin Turk will be wielding the gavel and the couple hope to raise at least £250,000 for the project. The big-ticket item going under the hammer will be the remnants of a gold Ford Transit van containing £1.2m in fake banknotes that the pair blew up in London’s Docklands in 2019 as the climax – or money shot, if you will – of Bank Job , a film about their attempts to fight toxic debt culture with art, a battle that involved printing cash to wipe out m
What happened
According to The Guardian’s source item, What am I bid for a blown-up van? The bizarre art auction aiming to build an eco power station in Reform-held Clacton, They blew up a van full of banknotes. They sold high-end Ukrainian vodka to Selfridges. Now art duo Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn are auctioning their past works – to launch their most ambitious project to date This Saturday, artists Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn are auctioning off their work from the past decade and a half. The reason? To help fund a community-led renewable power station in Nigel Farage’s Clacton constituency. Former YBA Gavin Turk will be wielding the gavel and the couple hope to raise at least £250,000 for the project. The big-ticket item going under the hammer will be the remnants of a gold Ford Transit van containing £1.2m in fake banknotes that the pair blew up in London’s Docklands in 2019 as the climax – or money shot, if you will – of Bank Job , a film about their attempts to fight toxic debt culture with art, a battle that involved printing cash to wipe out m
Context
The development sits in VINI’s Technology file for readers following technology, science, product policy, markets, infrastructure, and the public consequences of innovation. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-05-22T14:14:18+00:00.
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Source
Primary source: What am I bid for a blown-up van? The bizarre art auction aiming to build an eco power station in Reform-held Clacton via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
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Source links
- What am I bid for a blown-up van? The bizarre art auction aiming to build an eco power station in Reform-held ClactonThe Guardian - 2026-05-22T14:14:18+00:00
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