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His favourite flower is the daffodil because of the way its yellow contrasts with the monotonous grey of the concrete. The last time snow fell in London, he planted red tulips, placing a tiny doll-sized sledge and skier next to each of his microgardens. He covers larger crevasses with lawn turf, paints on tennis court lines, erects a net and leaves behind miniature tennis racquets and lawn mowers. To mark the marriage of William and Kate, he created an exclusive pothole design that included a wedding limousine. Tiny scenes and diminutive fantasy worlds are his trademark, designed to stimulate the imagination and enliven the everyday of the passing city dwellers. Just for a moment, there is a pause amidst the rush and bustle of London with its eight million inhabitants; people stop and enjoy the sight of the pocket-sized oases of green.
“It’s quite obvious how much Londoners miss their flowers among the urban sprawl”, states Wheen. “My task is to bring nature back to them in the city.” Wheen has already created some 50 of his pothole gardens in London. The reactions to these have been various. “Some think that the gardens mark the site of an accident where someone died”, he explains. “Others see them as a criticism of the condition of London’s finances, as a protest against global warming, or as an objection to the car-centric attitudes of our society.” A wide range of different comments have been posted on the blog of the pothole gardener, all of them positive. One internet user writes: “I think it speaks volumes about the issue of the roads in the UK. I hope it catches on and makes a real movement to get the council and government to begin to deal with these issues.” Another comments: “This is ‘street art’ in a very real sense because it is directly in the street.” And a third: “Well done! You’re managing to put a smile on the face of London.”
So there is no doubt that there are those who would consider it a pity if all the potholes were repaired with tar, something that the majority of Britons would like to see. But Steve Wheen only feels sorry for those who hurry past his pothole creations without giving them so much as a glance. “Anyone who doesn’t have time to stop and smell a bunch of roses must really have a pretty crappy existence.”
Images: Steve Wheen
http://thepotholegardener.com
