March 11

It's been very hard to find the time to write blog entries during my time in Japan. I have not stood still long enough to get something down. Now I am back In Kamaishi, and it is March 11, 2014. In 2011 on the same day, the small, industrial region was hit by a earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale, 30 minutes later a series of waves, 7 in total pounded the coastline with a force that swept away buildings, trucks, cars, forests and people at a rate that is beyond belief.
To commemorate this day there will be a ceremony in the bay where I am staying. I have been invited to go aboard the locally run rescue boat which will sound a horn at the very moment the disater took place 3 years ago.
These are tough people, they have suffered badly and are still nowhere close to living a normal existence. Many people are still living in temporary housing, there are areas of city that remain completely flat and the plans for the reconstruction of the region from the government are at odd with the need and desires of the local people.
We are here as a strange band of merry artists, designers and a musician with an ambition to help with developing a new future for the people living here. We have come to provide some advice, show some work and to have some fun. It is an amazing place, there is an incredible atmosphere that is mixed between a sadness for the past but a hunger for an exciting future. Future Lab are at the early stages of a big and ambitious project.
https://www.facebook.com/FLTLL?bookmark_t=page
https://www.facebook.com/futurelaboratory?fref=ts

Ichiro Endo

http://www.tokyo-ws.org/english/residence/2012/09/ichiro-endo.shtml

Future Labo

This is the name of the project that I'm working on in Japan. I am with a group of Japanese artists traveling around the Tohoku region, one of the most badly effected areas during the tsunami of March 2011. The coastal towns and villages were all but destroyed and many people lost family friends and their homes. Three years later and a lot has changed, however the signs are still clear and damage is very present. People are still in shock and finding it hard to come to terms with what happened to them. There are many people still living in temporary housing with no fixed departure date or news of being rehoused. Plans are in place to build large sea walls to protect against another disaster, however the proposals seem to be at odds with the lives and livelihoods of the people living here, not many of them want to see their views and relationship with the sea obscured, plus there is a lot of evidence to say that a wall would not work.
I am currently staying in a hotel which is directly on the seafront, the woman who runs and owns it is somewhat of a local hero, she survived being swept 3 times in the sea whilst saving the lives of others. She survived by being pulled to safety, at the time she was unconscious. 
The hotel is the main building shown in the clip linked;
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m8jLnOYzfg&feature=youtu.be

It is a lovely place and hard to think that just 3 years ago a 30m wave ploughed through this place and caused untold damage.
Last night there was a small earthquake here and that scared the hell out of me, just a tiny tremble. What a full scale quake and tsunami must feel like dose not bare thinking about.

I wont post loads of images of the destruction, you have seen them all before, so instead I show you the crew:

Haruka Ito

Hiroshi Ashikaga

Ichiro Endo

Mototoshi Abe

Yoi Kawakubo

Tomo Yukimashi

And below is an image of the "Go For Future" bus that we're traveling around in.

The way forward in Japan

This is me looking for trouble and finding it.

In Japan

I haven't had much of a chance to post yet, so here's the first one.
This fine creature is a deer, and was part of a performance put on just for our group, which is made up of a jolly band of Japanese artists and me. I am now being called to get involved with some more crazy activities... more later.

Japan

I'm off to Japan for a month, I will be post some updates here.

Dicerning Eye

 

Click the link to visit the Dicerning Eye website. You can also go and see the exhibition where some of my work is on show, it's in the Mall Gallery

Dropping Science

A glimpse of current work. Poseidon lurks in the Studio 1 Laboratory..

Lucky

Merman spotted out in Bristol Channel

Lucky Severn out and about

Lucky Severn saw a few days of action down in St.Davids and St.Donats.
In theses images you can see Saul on the point of physical breakdown after being bucked from the rubber ring of death and then having to climb back on. I'm going to post  a load of these images as I want to celebrate the glory of such a cool little boat.

To Date Portfolio..

Blip Blip Blip Leeds Robin Jenkins and Juan Cruz

Poseidons Adventure, Chin Up, Chopping Block Gallery

A Second on The Severn Sea, Film As Measure

A Second On The Severn Sea Film
A Second on The Severn Sea, Test Bed 1, Battersea

A Second on the Severn Sea, Bronze, H2O, Chelsea Future Space

And the winner is.....

It was close but here's the winner. Well done Luke Walker of Battersea, the de-cals are being printed now. A close second was Drunken Purchase by the lovely Zoe Tribello of Hampshire.

Look out for more action featuring the newly named Lucky Severn.

Gnarly Sharks

These ruffians are cast from pewter in a silicon mold I made last week. They're totally badass and I will be exhibiting and selling them in sets of 6. The seventh shark is the prize won by our fave blog watcher, Gambo.

who's winning now?

A list of the front runners... 

Drunken purchase

Lucky Severn

Naimh

Das Boat.

Disco Volante

Valhalla

Barry Island Blow Fish

keep voting....

Some Crazy names for a crazy boat:

....but which one do you like best?
vote for your favorite on Facebook or by commenting here.
If you don't like any of them you can always try a late entry, you need to get some campaigners behind you though, I won't take any any unsolicited attempts.

 


Disco Volante
giovanni giorgio
Bobbin Robin
Orange crush.
dick grayson
Pedro!
R3D red? or R2..
Buck
Miami
Bob Owen
Billy Evans
Speed
no
Nash Boy
Severn Boy
Yeaaahhhh Boooooyyyy
Flash
Zap
Twat
Richard Parker (Tiger)
Tango-a-go-go
Barry Island Blow Fish
Drunken purchase
Sober Surprise
Heisenberg
Vomit-comet
Valhalla
Spindrift
Tangerine-whiplash
The Ochreous Plunger
Das Boat.
Vailea
Barry
Peregrine
Lucky Severn
Nathalie Imbruglia
Jeff
Syren
Sweet Keith!
Snake eyes !
General Lee Jenkins
Fire-bird
Clint
Orange crush
Red Robin !
Naimh
Killer
oh wow!
Rex
Lady Marmalade!
Starsky
Tango and Splash
tELL ME THAT'S NOT YOURS?
Monica
Man darin
Fanta Sea
Doom
Poppa Cappin Yoass
Hermione
Graham
Orange Bandit.
When are we off to Nash sandbar then..?!
Where would you fit your board?
Das Boat.
Vailea

It ain't all doom and gloom.. Competition 2

So finally I get it to sea and she bucks her engine whilst pirouetting on a turn to go and pick up Mich after reaching what felt like light speed and lasted about 2 minutes. 2 days of engine dismantle and rebuild and it's better then ever. Look out for more speedboat action right hear... In the mean time: Competition number 2: This little speed demon ain't got no name... she's on the open seas without a handle.. So who ever can come up with a fitting Monica get's to win... The Prize? Smashing a bottle of fizz across her bow, a rip around the bay and a photo opportunity to hang on your wall for evermore.

Get your suggestions in at robinebjenkins@hotmail.com...