Thousands
of biscuits and sweets are being used to build a cityscape in a London department store. Cool photos.

The installation by Chinese artist Song Dong,
40, depicts a traditional Asian city linked to a more modern city complete with
stadium and church.

Selfridges’ customers can tuck in once the
work is finished on Wednesday.

"Eating the City" was built to
highlight Mr. Dong’s concerns over the current development of cities in Asia
which he says all look the same.

Mr. Dong said he was "anxious and
worried" about the development of Asian cities as they copy ideas from
other cities instead of creating their own.

"We have to look forward and prepare for
the future but not look all the same.

"This is not the most fun project but it
is the most interactive which I really enjoy," he said.

Mr. Dong said he had chosen biscuits because
they look like building blocks and "they are very sweet so you can’t eat a
lot of them otherwise they make you sick".

An estimated 72,000 biscuits, including digestives,
chocolate digestives, rich tea, hobnobs, caramels and fruit shortcake, will be
used during the week-long project.

Mr Dong has also built biscuit cities in Beijing, Chongqing,
Shanghai and Paris.

Artist Kieron Stone, 25, who
is part of the team working with Song, has so far managed to resist the
temptation to have a nibble.

"I haven’t had one biscuit but I’m
looking forward to having one or two but they’re going to be a bit stale."

‘Eating the City’ by Song Dong

His advice: "Go for the ones at the
bottom."

Using drawings provided by Mr. Dong, Mr.
Stone has helped to replicate a Chinese Parliament building and a church, but
the rest is down to his imagination.

"We had to build some specific buildings
but he has given us a free reign really. My favorite is one I based on the Empire State Building."

Biscuit builder Kate Vickers, 23, was looking
forward to the moment when it would all come together.

"It’s hard to say which is my favorite,
it has been great to see it all coming together and watching people’s
reaction," she said.

"All you can hear is people saying the
word ‘biscuit’."

The city is on display in the basement of
Selfridges in Oxford
Street until Wednesday.