Gummed up

Crossing the Thames via the Millennium Bridge from the exhibition of Matisse's giant cut-outs at the Tate Modern, still dazzled by his vast swirls and swathes of colour, I made out the figure of a paint-stained man crouched down on the metal walkway. As the hurrying figures of commuters and tourists parted around him he remained intent upon dabbing at the chewing gum trodden into the textured surface, surely a pointless, thankless task. But then something clicked in my memory and I realised that here was a very different sort of artist - the chewing gum man!

Ben Wilson has been turning spots of discarded gum into miniature art works for 10 years now and is currently concentrating upon the Millennium Bridge where the goo lodges between the metal ridges and defies normal methods of removal. So far he's transformed around 400 of them into brightly coloured motifs using the shape of the splodges themselves for inspiration or painting images as requested by passers-by. Once you start to notice them the tiny decorated blobs pop into view everywhere, some with words and symbols that are clearly personal to individuals as you can see from my collage here. The one I've inserted directly in front of Ben is a tribute to victims of the Japanese tsunami and the one above appears to commemorate a child.
You have to bend down to see them properly, like spotting tiny flowers or insects on a grassy sward, so that the exercise works to subvert the rush and scurry of the human flow along this urban thoroughfare. Only those with sufficient time and curiosity will stop and enjoy the gift. (Ben doesn't have a collecting box or flyers nor does he try to get you to sign up for anything.)

I had a quick chat with Ben as the rain started and mentioned the mural I visited for yesterday's blip. London is full of artists and for many the street is their gallery, with no entrance fee.

Read about Ben here.
I haven't managed to catch up on comments yet and don't imagine I ever will but thank you for all the interest in Wednesday's great bustard.