Categories
nuclear

Fukushima 0n-going

The 2011 disaster at Fukushima continues and shows no sign of being cleaned up within any of our lifetimes. In that year, almost inconceivably the whole of central Japan was almost rendered uninhabitable with the possible evacuation of 50 million people being seriously considered by the Japanese government.

The Netflix drama, The Days certainly captures the sense of disaster (I found it rather slow for drama but then is it entertainment?) and correctly states that no one knows why the reactors didn’t continue to meltdown, destroying half of Japan. Fukushima now pours irradiated water into the Pacific and since there are no solutions in sight that will continue, perhaps with pauses, for the foreseeable future.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the sales force for nuclear power continues to promote nukes large and small, regardless of the disasters and in denial about the carnage, death and destruction wrought by Chernobyl and Fukushima, just two incidents, neither of which can they in any way deal with.

Categories
art

Fukushima

Fukushima is in the news again, as it will be periodically for the rest of your life and beyond. This time it’s for starting to dump toxic water into the Pacific, with partial blessing of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) who are trying to hedge their bets, or just lying through their teeth. And a Netflix drama series about the 2011 events.

Anyway I thought I might re-post the piece I made for my Masters degree.

Welcome to Fukushima – kimono front, fabric, printed and embellished, 2m x 2m, 2018.
Welcome to Fukushima – kimono rear, printed and embellished fabric, 2m x 2m, 2018

I have managed to lose most of the files, sketches, notes, images &c. I collected for the project and for the rest of the MA, probably when I moved home, twice.

My overall feeling about this piece is that I would like it to be darker and with bigger and bolder images, but at the time of making I was thinking of the confusion surrounding the 2011 events, and a recent visit to the COBRA museum, Amsterdam https://cobra-museum.nl/ where the anti-art movement of Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam (post World War Two) is displayed.

Categories
art

抗議の行進 Kōgi no kōshin Demo

Just finished re-mounting this piece, which is for sale, £380.

抗議の行進
Demo
Mixed Textiles & Steel, 108 x 43 cm, 2018

Categories
print

Hokusai and Hiroshige, Japanese prints

A visit to a terrific, free and very popular exhibition – closing soon – at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, the first of three looking at woodblock printing in Japan.  This one is concerned with landscapes, the next on starts on January 12th and is focused on the city.

There is also an on-line exhibition for those who can’t get to the museum.

The museum also currently has a small but interesting display of African fabric, mainly made-up clothing.

 

Categories
textiles

Welcome to Fukushima

This was my final piece for the MA Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking an it is currently half on display at the Royal West of England gallery as part of their annual open exhibition.  I say half because although I submitted it as a sculpture and wanted it shown in the whole it has been placed against a black curtain.  Still we do what we can and endure what we must.

The work references Japanese Boro coats, hand-me-downs that were patched repeatedly and passed on to succeeding generations.  In the later half of the 20thC they became collectable and examples can be found in museums and galleries, such as Sri, prices on application!  Interestingly the V & A gallery in London has a, ‘Make your own: Japanese ‘Boro’ bag‘ .pdf instruction.

There are many examples of Boro on pinterest, and some excellent information courtesy of Heddels.