This is the Millenium bridge over the Thames with St Paul's Cathedral on the North bank and the Tate Modern on the South bank. For those of you who live in London or have visited London you have probably walked over this bridge but how many of you have noticed the art beneath your feet?
This is the artist Ben Wilson but he is commonly known as the Chewing Gum Man. For the last decade he has taken on the challenge of converting the ugliest stains on our footpaths into miniature works of art.
Using a blowtorch and layers of acrylic paint he creates tiny pictures of strange creatures and brightly coloured patterns beneath our feet.
Once you have spotted one then you can't resist scanning the ground looking for more. A number of them include the names or initials of people who have asked Ben to include them in his work.
He has been arrested a number of times but as he restricts his painting to the chewing gum he cannot be accused of criminal damage. It is usually because of the crowds he attracts that creates a problem for the police.
.
So next time you are on the bridge see if you can spot the brightly coloured chewing gum.
Hello, interesting post. I would never thought chewing gum as art. If I was there, I would probably be on the lookout for the tiny pictures. Happy Monday, enjoy your day! Wishing you a happy new week!
ReplyDeleteLove this! I would never have guessed he could do this so well. :-)
ReplyDeleteWow. It's so unusual, yet, so very interesting.
ReplyDeleteWhat an intriguing headline and what an intriguing artist.
ReplyDeleteThat's a fascinating thing to do.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing what material is used to art.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on
Wow, that's very creative!
ReplyDeleteWhat a strange sort of pastime. Almost as weird as watching birds.
ReplyDeleteA bit strange way for making art. I can imagine the city patrol is not happy with this use of the public environment.
ReplyDeleteWe went across the bridge last year and I didn't notice. Our youngest son went across it on a school trip when it opened. It was then promptly closed as it was moving too much. Didn't include that in the risk assessment!
ReplyDeleteQuite creative!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderfully creative! Wow! ~ thanks for posting great photos too!
ReplyDeleteHappy Days to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Wow, interesting. Amazing the diverse ways people find to express themselves.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting. Thank you for showing this gum art to us. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sharing this post on my fb page.
Have a great week. :)
Wow - amazing!
ReplyDeleteMakes me smile. Creative people will find a way, they just cannot be stifled.
ReplyDeleteA creative eccentric guy. That bridge is creative and eccentric too.
ReplyDeleteHi! It looks very interesting. His works are very nice. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool thing to do! Does he only create his art on that one bridge? If he ever wanted a vacation in Florida, he could certainly find (too) many opportunities . (I think the sun probably makes gum stains worse ....sidewalks are seriously more disgusting here than they are in Oregon.)
ReplyDeleteNow I've heard everything! This is so creative -- really colorful and artistic.
ReplyDeleteOnly in London!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't noticed him, painting on chewing gums ?? I will suggest this for my painting class !
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh. I have to save this post. The only thing worse than throwing your gum on the ground is chewing it like a cow. I'm glad someone is making lemonade out of lemons.
ReplyDeleteIf he runs out of chewing gum, there's lots around here. Well, everywhere in fact. The very modern and disgusting habit of depositing the contents of a mouth onto a public path is strangely tolerated, unlike in some countries.
ReplyDeleteWell you learn something new everyday. I will certainly look for those next time I am there?
ReplyDelete