Ben the Chewing Gum Artist - 40 min documentary

Synopsis & Media Coverage

Synopsis

Ben The Chewing Gum Artist - 40 min documentary

Filmed over ten years, this is the story of Ben Wilson, celebrated chewing gum artist who is on a mission to create street art across London. Ben paints miniature pictures on used chewing gum, in painstaking detail, transforming waste into art. The law has no jurisdiction over painting on gum and Ben emphasises this on his often hilarious and sometimes harrowing encounters with the police. His work defies the authorities without breaking any laws.

Lying on street pavements, covered in paint, Ben attracts a lot of attention. Crowds of people are drawn to his work, many of whom request pictures. His art reflects a myriad of personal stories from people all over the world. Ben wants to "help people connect with the consequences of their actions." He believes we have lost the ability to see the impact on what we do in our environment.

Ben's dream is to take a trail of pictures from St Pauls Cathedral across the iconic Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern Art Gallery. Tension rises as security confront Ben and try to prevent him from completing his trail. Ben comes up with an ingenious idea to secretly take his trail right inside the Tate Modern. A launch advertised by 'Time Out', attracts hundreds of people who join Ben on a treasure hunt to discover his secret pictures hidden within the walls of the Tate.

While Ben remains an outsider artist on the doorstep of the Tate, he is commissioned to paint on chewing gum by Lord Bird who supports 'The Big Issue" outside The Houses of Parliament. Ben receives permission to paint on chewing gum from the Yeoman Usher of the Black Rod, who is responsible for maintaining order within the Houses of Parliament.

Will this be enough to convince the police outside The Houses of Parliament that this is not a breach of security? It sets a precedent, if Ben can paint on chewing gum outside The Houses of Parliament, surely he can paint anywhere?

International Media - Ben Wilson Chewing Gum Artist

Ben is featured in a TV Documentary called ‘The Chewing Gum Man’. Click here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Wilson_(artist)

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/world/europe/14muswell.html

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/dec/11/thepolicingoftheartist

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-11677462/chewing-gum-artist-painting-miniature-masterpieces

https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2014-09-26/painter-brings-chewing-gum-art-to-the-north/

  

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