Ben Wilson, also known as the Chewing Gum Man, has been turning discarded pieces of gum into art for 19 years. And now, he is fighting to save as much as one of his most famous trails, on the Millennium Bridge, as he can.
The bridge is due to undergo a three-week deep clean from October 14, over which time it will be shut to the public.
The City Bridge Foundation, which manages several of the capital’s most iconic crossings, has said it is working with Mr Wilson to identify a “limited” number of pieces to preserve.
Earlier this week, the artist said he is hoping to save as many as possible, as it is not easy to decide what to keep and what to ditch.
“It’s like, it’s art. You can destroy that canvas, but not that canvas?”
LondonWorld has since caught up with Mr Wilson on the bridge itself, and captured him at work.
At the time of writing, it is believed he and the foundation have agreed 75 items can be saved. However, Mr Wilson continues to try for more of his tiny pieces of work to be retained.
As the final number is to be decided upon ahead of the deep clean, due to start tomorrow, here is a collection of photos of the man in action, and some of the roughly 600 miniature artworks he has created on the bridge.
1. Ben Wilson’s chewing gum art on the Millennium Bridge.
Jack Abela Photo: Jack Abela
2. Mr Wilson has a background in various art forms, including sculpting.
Jack Abela Photo: Jack Abela
3. The clean is due to start on October 14, with Mr Wilson hoping most of his trail will be saved.
Jack Abela Photo: Jack Abela
4. Mr Wilson said choosing which ones to preserve is almost impossible. “It’s like, it’s art. You can destroy that canvas, but not that canvas?”
Jack Abela Photo: Jack Abela