In the 400th anniversary year of Japanese-British relations, David Blandy’s new exhibition will creatively explore the mythology, legacy and socio-cultural connotations of William Adams, the first Englishman to set foot in Japan in 1600 and the only officially recognised Western Samurai.

Encompassing a new series of animated films set within an immersive installation, Anjin 1600: Edo Wonderpark has its aesthetic starting point in wood block prints of the Japanese Edo period – a halcyon era within Japan’s governance that was characterised by great artistic and cultural growth.

Drawing on these existing historical references, Blandy is working with a Japanese animator from the prestigious Tokyo Geidai animation school to combine traditional artistic techniques and methods of storytelling with contemporary anime. The results will be a 21st century reimagination of the sea-faring Adams’s story with Homeric inferences that muse on the notion of place and self within contemporary globalised culture.

DAVID BLANDY ANJIN 1600: EDO WONDERPARK

The Rose Lipman Building
43 De Beauvoir Rd
N1 5SQ
0207 923 3565

Date: Sept 13th - Oct 26th

DAVID BLANDY ANJIN 1600: EDO WONDERPARK

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