Ben Farleigh is a London-based artist and product designer. He is also creative director of streetwear brand Yes No Maybe.

His 'Toytem' collection is currently on display in the wee gallery space located in our reception desk. Toytem is a range of pop art pieces: toy + London brick sculptures… "a volcanic marriage inspired by childhood icons, the suburbs lived in, and the city playground."

The artist says:

Bricks – most specifically 'London Brick' – are something I have found and collected over time. (They are) a perfect symbolic unit of measurement. (Their) proportion, geometry and functionality are key to their beauty. I would like to consider myself a 'London Brick.'

Fast food 'happy meal' toys and action figures are key to the Toytem collection. Sourced from personal collections, boot sales, eBay and charity shops, they remind me of our disposable culture.
Broadly considered junk, (landfill) each has been beautifully designed, crafted and moulded and manufactured in the hundreds of thousands, to high safety standards and painted with skill by hand, then marketed and distributed to sell more food, or cinema tickets, or computer games to kids.
These used toys still have beauty; 'Toytem' is an appreciation of the minute attention to detail and exquisite skill involved in toy-making. This is highlighted by conglomerations of toys painted a flat colour to reveal their form.

Stride gum is becoming … A Little Bit Epic. With the launch of this new creative direction. This new campaign will replace the brand's Ridiculously Long Lasting Gum campaign that has existed since Stride launched in 2006. The new campaign, developed by Wieden + Kennedy London, represents a shift in the overall brand strategy for Stride. The new direction will fuel the evolution of Stride beyond its functional, long lasting roots, and position the brand as a little pack of courage that helps millenials unleash their “you-er you.”

The new campaign kicks off with a 30 second TV spot, directed by Traktor, called ‘Meeting the Ex’. The spot opens in a coffee shop where the main character’s ex walks through the door. Feeling nervous about how to approach her, he opens the pack of Stride, un-wraps a piece of gum and starts to chew. His fantasy then proceeds to play out a number of potential scenarios – he could be suave, like a 1920s romantic hero with a pencil moustache, or manly like a warrior on a medieval ship wrestling a sea monster, or intelligent yet animalistic, like a werewolf that gives sound financial advice.  Back in the real world of the coffee shop, he decides to just be himself, resisting the urge to play it cool. He approaches the girl with a simple ‘Hey’ and a smile, holding the door open for her. She smiles back, visibly impressed. Definitely a little bit epic!

for more information regarding Stride please visit their website : http://www.stridegum.com/