Ben Wilson

This is the work of the English outsider artist Ben Wilson, who creates tiny works of art by painting chewing gum stuck to the pavement. Initially this caused problems with the authorities however he was found to not be defacing private property, but merely painting rejected rubbish, and so wasn't breaking the law. This loophole that the artist had found intrigued me, and after exploring his work in more depth I found it to be aesthetically pleasing, visually interesting, and brimming with good intentions.

Wilson aims to bring society together with his work, painting commissions for free in the hopes that like the gum, these people will feel wanted and part of something once again, as opposed to feeling like they don't belong in the disconnected society they live in. It is this motive behind the artwork that interests me the most, as it contrasts the initial vandalism aesthetic the gum has to some people, as well as the disgusting and rejected aesthetic the gum previously had.

Wilson's idea started when he became upset by the state of his environment, and the disconnected atmosphere where people affected things in a detached way. He felt that the environment was being destroyed by people becoming detached from it, and this was also leading to people destroying each other.
This is a very interesting viewpoint that I agree with. We all impact our environment just by being who we are, and so we have to take responsibility for that and leave a positive mark instead of the negative ones that plague our streets today.
It is the compassion that Wilson puts into his work that serves as his contribution to the environment. He does pictures purely because people ask him to, and charges nothing. These pictures give people a sense of belonging which in turn makes something negative less likely to happen.
Two quotes I found on the internet from Wilson really stood out to me as something I am interested in exploring through my own project-
'I transform something that has been rejected by society'
He went on to say- 'It’s about caring, taking the time and making a stand for something. It can be any degree of absurdness, but it can also be quite serious.'
I have touched on this in my previous projects, however feel this is something I could possibly explore in more depth, particularly concentrating on the materials I use.

 

The other quite was this-  'There has to be a sense that people can be creative in their environment. I’m finding a way to be creative in my environment and connect with people. I think it’s a right.'

I am interested in investigating the ways in which people are creative in their environment, and so leading on from this I could look at doodles on items such as rubbish, books, and tables, and carvings on bus/train windows and seats, etc. These are just a few examples, however unnoticed forms of art like this are all around us, stemming from perhaps unnoticed moments of creativity. Unknowingly, these forms of creativity bring us together in a sense. Leaving our mark behind, which may hold memories and stories, can make us feel as if we belong and we are part of the environment that we live in. This then has a knock on positive effect, particularly on people that share this perspective. By leaving our mark behind, people that come and go in that particular area may get insight into what the creator of the work was thinking and feeling at that moment in time, or who they were/are. This is what Wilson does. He leaves a hint of who the person the artwork was made for is, always incorporated into a positive aesthetic, and so this positivity and revelation may influence future viewers in a positive way, therefore influencing the environment in a positive way.

The problem is that not everyone sees it this way, and these creative expressions of ourselves can be considered vandalism. This then leads to people supressing their creative side, and so this method of bringing society together is impeded.
This is why I want to find unnoticed artwork. I want these forms of art to be noticed and appreciated as a 'normal' piece of artwork would be, not just overlooked and forgotten.


The process-
Wilson first finds a piece of discarded, spat out chewing gum on the street.
Next he heats it with a blowtorch. Lacquer is then applied, which stabilises the gum. Two coats of enamel are applied, and left to dry until the gum is rock hard. The picture can then be painted onto it, with a clear layer of lacquer over the top. Heat is applied once again, finishing off the piece. It is then completely protected and can be walked on, rained on, etc.
This is quite a simple but thought out process that takes into consideration the material and the environment, which is something I need to consider when creating my FMP work. 

Following on from this research I am going to investigate using rejected items in my work, and explore the ways in which different people convey their creativeness.

More photos on http://littlelondonobservationist.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/ben-wilsons-chewing-gum-art/