Ben Wilson’s Chewing Gum Art in Piccadilly

Following last week’s the Freshly Pressed entry about Ben Wilson’s chewing gum art, I wanted to share this short video with you from Where The Art Is. There are three pieces of chewing gum art near the Royal Academy in Piccadilly.

They can be seen, along with their exact locations, in this video:

And of course since Where The Art Is always knows where.. (well, you get it)… here’s a few more spotted back in 2009 and a photo of Ben at work.

Also, on the subject of Ben’s work, if you commented on the last entry and missed yesterday’s comment from Garry Hunter, the curator of the exhibition that sparked the entry, I’ll re-post it below here as it may be of interest to a lot of you:

Thank you for all of your comments, which I will pass onto Ben as he does not ‘do online.’ This gum art trail is the first in a series of artist residencies funded by Trinity Buoy Wharf Trust where artists look at environmental issues use waste products and eco themes specific to the site to create new work. As a curator I have worked with Ben on a number of projects, two of which can be seen here – http://www.fitzrovianoir.com/page4.htm –– those pieces are still in Fitzrovia, London W1 and one was done for the community arts group that I run, founded in 2007 to document the demolition of a 250 year old public hospital, The Middlesex. http://londonist.com/2011/07/redevelopment-interim-exhibition-2-hanmi-gallery.php#1_undefined,0_ – if visiting the area use the tower as a beacon to locate Ben’s gum work on Maple Street, Charlotte St, Mortimer/Wells St, Tottenham St etc The gum art is meant to be permanent and is impossible to remove from the pavement without damaging it – people do try but Ben returns to previous pieces and repairs missing corners. Generally they are pretty hard wearing.

Piccadilly Crossing

On a corner across from the famous Piccadilly Circus lights, the usual crowded sidewalks fill up waiting for the lights to change. I have taken photos of those horses before (and have probably also ruined the pictures of many tourists by walking in front of cameras on the same corner), but this is the first time I shot it from this angle…

Elephant Parade 21-30

A mid-week round up of some of the elephant herd. Are you missing them yet? Here’s 21-30.

21. Dart by Rasamee Kongchan; Hyde Park – Dell Garden

22. Bolt by Thanomsri Meesanga; Hyde Park – Speaker’s Corner

23. Dash by Thanomsri Meesanga; Hyde Park – Speaker’s Corner

24. Whizz by Thanomsri Meesanga; Hyde Park – Speaker’s Corner

25. I miss the Forest by Wongpeera Winyarat; Green Park

26. Spike by Jirawan Suwanaklang; Hyde Park – Dell Garden

27. Chinesephant by Wongpeera Winyarat; Baker Street

28. Cha-Chang by Turdsak Piromkraipak; More London

29. Blue Macaw by Jirawan Suwanaklang; Green Park

30. Vorsprung by Storm Thorgerson; Piccadilly

For more photos, interviews and other info, visit my Elephant Parade page. Stay tuned for the rest!

Little London Lunch Break: Your London

Little London Lunch Break posts will appear every Wednesday around lunch time. I’ll ask a questions or start a discussion, give my answer and leave the comments open for the rest of you the same when you have a minute or two. If you would like to suggest a question, please email me at littlelondonobservationist@hotmail.co.uk.

Question: London is so incredibly diverse and intricate that one person’s experience of it may be completely different from the next. Where is “your London”? Which areas do you feel most comfortable in, which are the most familiar?

My Answer:
There are a few places that feel like “my London”.

Notting Hill all the way down through Portobello Market, Ladbroke Grove, through to Kensal Green – the 52 bus route, basically. I lived in Kensal Green for 2.5 years, and have worked in Notting Hill for almost two. You would think I would have been tired of the walk between the two, but even on weekends I used to spend a lot of time in Portobello Market.

Spitalfields/Brick Lane also makes my list, the spread of market stalls and exotic food, the slightly run-down, creative atmosphere with graffiti splattered walls and vintage clothes shops. It’s all about the vibe.

I spend some time in the area between Oxford Circus and South Bank – down Regent Street, past Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square. It’s tourist-heaven, but it always makes you feel like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself. South Bank at night always reminds me of when I first fell in love with London.

Hampstead where I used to work and the amazing heath in the summer, Knightsbridge where I lived when I studied abroad and Hyde Park’s romantic willow trees, Blackfriars Bridge which I used to walk across into the sunset when I was doing work experience at a publishing company, Camden for the madness of the market, for Marathon’s hidden jazz nights and gigs generally.

These are not the only areas I spend time in, but they are places either connected to my life or that I have explored time and again.

And “your London”?