VOA文化艺术2023--London Artist Paints Crushed Chewing Gum

London Artist Paints Crushed Chewing Gum

Lying on London's famous Millennium¹ Bridge, British artist Ben Wilson paints on a piece of dried gum. It has been crushed flat into the ground.

"The important thing is the gum is below the metal tread²," said the 60-year-old Wilson. "The beauty of it is they're all different shapes and sizes...," he continued, describing pieces of gum.

Wilson sees possibility in things most people avoid looking at. The flattened³ gum is a chance to turn a piece of waste into something beautiful.

The artwork also is a way to surprise walkers and get them to take a closer look at the path they are on.

"By painting a picture which is so small, those that see it then discover a hidden world beneath their feet," Wilson said.

Back in his north London art room, Wilson paints on the surface of a small mosaic⁴ tile⁵. It will be part of a collection that he is creating on the walls of London's Underground train platforms. The images are more personal than the chewing gum works, Wilson says, and represent a kind of "visual diary."

"The pictures are a celebration of my life and those that I care dearly about," he said. "They are a process of visual inquiry⁶ - trying to make sense of the world," he added.

Wilson was born in London to artist parents. He remembers working with clay from the age of three. He had his first art show when he was around 10 or 11 years old.

He began making sculptures and large pieces for display in nature settings. Then his interest turned to waste, also called trash. He has been painting gum and other pieces of trash for 19 years.

The top surface of the dried gum is not subject to local or national laws. As a result, the dried gum surface creates a space where Wilson says he can paint without damaging public property.

"I found this little space where I could create a form of art where I could be spontaneous⁷ and do something which evolves out of the place in which it's created," Wilson said.

Government officials have removed much of the artist's public street art. But the hundreds of gum paintings on Millennium Bridge remain for all to see.

Words in This Story

gum – n. a type of soft candy that you chew on but do not swallow

tread – n. the raised surface that people walk on

mosaic – n. a decoration made by pressing small pieces of colored glass or stone into a soft material that then hardens

tile – n. a usually flat piece of hard clay or other material that is used for covering walls or floors

diary – n. a book in which you write down your personal experiences and thoughts each day

clay – n. a heavy, sticky material from the earth that is made into different shapes and that becomes hard when it is baked or dried

 

spontaneous – adj. created in a natural and often sudden way

1 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

2 tread   

vi.踩；行走；vt.踩烂（出）；n.胎面，脚步声

参考例句：

• A policeman walked by with a slow,measured tread.一名警察迈着小心的步子慢慢走过。
• We heard father's tread on the steps.我们听到台阶上父亲的脚步声。

3 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

4 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

5 tile   

n.砖瓦；vt.铺以瓦，铺以瓷砖

参考例句：

• The bathroom is faced with tile.浴室铺着瓷砖。
• I pointed to a number of scratches in the tile floor.我指向地板砖上的一道道划痕。

6 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

7 spontaneous   

adj.自发的，不由自主的

参考例句：

• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。
• Spontaneous applause broke out as soon as she finished speaking.她一讲完，大家不约而同都鼓起掌来。