Excerpt:
...It's nightfall in late summer in Ben Wilson's North
London garden, and you might be forgiven for thinking
that his is an idyllic existence. He has carved out
a magical place, where giant wild flowers flow over
hidden seats and arbours, a flagstone path winds through
to his workshop and then on to the playhouse he is building
for his daughter Chloe. All this blends into a peaceful,
intimate harmony. A recent edition of a glossy magazine
portrayed it as such, in one of those Ben-Wilson-invites-us-into-his-lovely-home
style interviews.
He has not forgiven them. Because behind the beautifully
carved wood lies another agenda, which he now struggles
to put across. He is driven by the battle to protect
his own mental and physical space from those who would
categorise him out of his individuality. 'I'm an outsider
artist, a twentieth century artist, an environmental
artist, a whatever artist,' he complains. 'Every time
someone does something, it has to be categorised and
put into relation to something else.' He is apologetic
for his inability to produce snappy soundbites to sum
up these feelings, but I'm glad: this is a heartfelt,
uncontainable outburst.