#TLCSplashMob: Ice Bucket Challenge for the Cove Guardians in Taiji

My friend, photographer/videographer/conservationist/dude, Jimmy Greenwood (Feral Film Productions) recently nominated me for the Ice Bucket Challenge.  Rather than chucking a bucket of water over my head (adding to the already over flowing Facebook walls of my friends), and inspired by Jimmy’s unconventional, and eco friendly, take on the challenge, I decided to rally the troops and make a SPLASH in London’s Serpentine for the love of dolphins, in support of Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardians.

As you may know from my Instagram, I have attended several protests outside London’s Japanese Embassy in the last year (above), alarmed and disgusted by the brutal annual six month ‘cull’ of dolphins off the coast of the small fishing village of Taiji.

Annually, after a small selection of herded dolphins, porpoises and small whales are chosen for marine parks, thousands of others are brutally slaughtered and sold off for their meat.  Most citizens in Japan are unaware of these horrendous dolphin hunts, or the serious toxicity of dolphin meat, which contains extremely high levels of mercury and PCBs.

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Now, more than ever, it is important to add your voice to the growing global outrage and international protest against the drive hunt, as well as the captivity and slaughter these innocent creatures.  The strongest weapon we have is our voice. Please write to your local Japanese Embassy or consulate and use your social media platforms to let it be known you oppose the slaughter in Taiji.

Thank you to my girls for agreeing, without hesitation, to one of my more crazy requests, to the Masketeers and the Artful Badger, to Summer Watson and to Jimmy, a man as passionate about this cause as me, for his excellent camera skills, encouragement and enthusiasm.

Donate to Sea Shepherd's Cove Guardians HERE.

James Mylne: Vintage Vogue

Last week I attended the opening night of artist James Mylne’s ‘Vintage Vogue’ exhibition at the Rook & Raven Gallery.  I was really intrigued and excited about this exhibition as James Mylne, 31, creates all his art using BIC Biros..!!  Each piece of James’ work takes huge levels of concentration (mistakes cannot be rectified) and can take hundreds of hours to complete.  I had to see it to believe it and the results blew me away; a room filled with beautiful and photo-realistic portraits from the Golden Age of Hollywood.  Heaven. Stylish icons have been brought to life with BIC Biro on backgrounds of bright spray paint.  The Audrey Hepburn images were naturally my favourites but I loved the elegance of the Coco Chanel (right) and the Steve McQueen drawing is just undeniably cool (below.)  I can just imagine stationary cupboard bills soaring in offices all over London after this exhibition... 

Above (L-R): Recreating 'The Audrey' pose with Vika Skyte, Celina Teague and Gayle Wyn PughIzzy Lawrence with Ed GloverHugo Speer and Vivienne Harvey.

James Mylne: ‘Vintage Vogue’ is on at Rook & Raven until October 31st. Entrance is free.