A funny thing happened over the weekend.  I had a piece of art I created exhibited at the Big Chill as part of a touring art show.

The first thing that makes me exhibiting a piece of art peculiar is that while I was taught art and was fortunate enough to be exposed to some great contemporary artists, I don't really consider myself an artist.

The second thing which really made it peculiar, was the fact that I was truly the unknown face in an exhibit composed of 18 successful artists chosen by Cedric Christie to participate in his charitable endeavor entitled The Blank Canvas Project. To put the peculiarity of the situation into context, the other artists were Tracey Emin, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Sir Peter Blake, Sarah Lucas, Gavin Turk, Rachel Whiteread.... and many more. All major artists who make their living selling art and then me....

The project which was inspired by Jean Luc Godard's "Les Enfants de Don Quichotte", which saw dozens of tents lined up along the Canal St Martin in Paris as a means of highlighting the plight of the homeless. Christie takes it a step further by giving a select number of artists all the same military style pup tent which they are asked to decorate so that it can form part of a touring exhibition before being auctioned off for charity. The profits being divided equally amongst The Big Issue Foundation, Amnesty International and a number of other charities nominated by the individual artists.

I am sure that a number of the tents will command some hefty prices when they go to auction, particularly Tracey Emin's project since not only does she carry a big name but also considering that her original tent project had been lost in the Saatchi fire. I can only hope that my tent gets enough to cover the cost of the materials!!! So if there are any generous benefactor's out there who don't want to see me get embarrassed, then please present yourself at the forthcoming auction....

Installation shot, The Big Chill Festival;

Foreground left: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Right: Neville Brody,.
Background left: 1. Timothy Han 2. Steve Claydon 3. Boo Ritson.
Background right: 1. Keith Coventry 2. Jake & Dinos Chapman

Photograph: Mark Bennett