An eye-catching window fix. Like some grotesque parody of the Union Flag

London’s very own Rive Gauche. Sorry.

Yesterday I almost tripped up over a man named Ben painting the chewing gum splats on the pavements of Muswell Hill. He was right next to a pelican crossing, painting a little white street-blotch pink. It was dark and the weather was Baltic, so you can guess he was clearly devoted to his art. Apparently Ben paints chewing gum all over London, and has been doing so for years – I wonder if anyone else has noticed his tiny canvases literally dotted around the capital? I couldn’t wait around long enough to see what the finished product would be.

I’m glad that someone is doing something creative with these enduring articles of human waste. I remember once writing a short story where they featured, I shall have to dig it out and remind myself.

I am not sure if this is insanity, but it certainly is an interesting way of brightening up the grim pavements of London, even if it goes largely unnoticed.

p.s. Since writing this blog post I have done some searching and located a flickr group of Ben’s art, in case you are interested