Submerging

Ishinomaki, Fukishima, Japan

Tape Art Crew: Michael Townsend, Leah Smith

In 2011 the Fukushima region of Japan was devastated by the harrowing combination of an earthquake, a tsunami and ultimately a full blown nuclear reactor meltdown. Over 350,000 people were evacuated to temporary housing and as of Fall of 2014, over 90,000 have yet to locate a permanent home.

In November 2014 the Tape Art crew finally got the opportunity to work with this population in a community located in the city of Ishinomaki, where we created a mural on the side of the community’s meeting building. At the suggestion of the community leader the mural celebrated fish as a reflection of the central role fishing plays in northern Japan’s industry.

The mural includes portraits of a family living in that community. The three figures walk peacefully through a submerged forest surrounded by fish that float between the trees. The young girl turns and touches one of the fish, seeing through it to its ominous skeletal interior.