The idea for this piece came from a friend of mine visiting England from abroad, on his first day we went for lunch in a pub. He looked at the menu and started to complain about what was on offer and English cuisine in general. On the menu there was egg, chips and beans, sausage, chips and beans, chicken nuggets, chips and beans, steak and mushroom pie, chips and beans.

I found his comments hurtful and untrue, as potatoes are a great source of potassium, beans have lots of fibre and meat is brilliant for protein. Who wants all that lasagne, sushi, guacamole, taramarasalata, crap anyway. We do not need to shut down our cafes and swap them for more coffee shops, we need to support our own British culture more.

I love sausage chips and beans so much that I am prepared to spend two weeks inside, doused and close up with my favourite meal.

Press

The artist spent 11 days rolling a nut to Downing Street

Bean bath promotes cafe grub
By Chirag Trivedi
BBC News Online, London

A man who recently pushed a monkey nut with his nose seven miles to Downing Street is to sit in a bath full of baked beans for 100 hours with two chips stuck up his nose.

Mark Mc Gowan will also have sausages weighing 7 lb strapped to his head for the art stunt to support British cuisine and the traditional English cafe.

The performance artist has already made a name for himself by rolling on the pavement for more than four miles to encourage politeness towards office cleaners.

He also put a 27 lb turkey on his head and walked backwards for 11 miles to raise awareness of obesity.

The monkey nut protest, completed on 12 September, was an unusual attempt to have his student debts cleared.

Mr Mc Gowan hopes to spend eight hours a day over two weeks in the beans to clock up the 100 hours.

It will take place in the window of a gallery so the public can watch him.

He said the idea came to him after a friend visiting from abroad complained about a pub's "everything with chips and beans" menu.

"He said it was rubbish and I found his comments hurtful," Mr Mc Gowan said.

"Potatoes have got a lot of potassium, beans have lots of fibre and meat is full of protein.

"So it's against all that lasagne, sushi and guacamole rubbish.

"And we don't need to shut down our cafes and swap them for more Starbucks or coffee shops.

Obesity link dismissed

"I love chips, beans and sausages so much, I'm prepared to sit in it for two weeks - even though it will be very cold as it's in November and the gallery has no heating."

He added that food like this is often blamed for the rise in obesity, but eaten in moderation he says it can be a healthy meal.

"Obesity is about addictive personalities, it has nothing to do with British food," he said.

The installation, unsurprisingly called 'Sausage, Chips and Beans', will be at The House Gallery in Camberwell, south London, from 14 to 26 November.