“Fairytales can come true, you gotta make 'em happen, it all depends on you” Make-A-Wish, Mermaid Rentals, & Mer-Gyver!

A sweet 6 year old girl suffering from cancer had one wish…to be mermaids with her 4 year old twin brother and sister on the beach. Make-A –Wish teamed up with Thom Shouse of Mermaid Rentals and yesterday we made her dreams come true!

Thom and "Dad" checking out the Studio!

On a warm overcast August day a little girl and her family arrived in Torrance, California. The children were in awe when they arrived at Thom’s studio, their wide eyes sweeping over the giant dolphin hanging from the rafters to the boxes of mermaid props and resting finally on the shelf where all the mermaid tails are stored.   Many happy stories and smiles were shared and the children quickly took to Thom, asking questions, sharing their stories and showing off their mermaid tops and Ariel wigs.

The children drew ‘Thank You’ cards for Thom with mermaids and sunshine, which brought a happy tear to our eyes and smile that would not quit! 

  With happiness to fill our hearts we loaded up, Thom and I had my truck loaded down with tails, prop rocks, coolers, and canopies. The children safely buckled and the mermaid caravan was off to the beach!

The children were greeted by a band of friendly pirates on the grass, as we prepared and set up for the tail reveling on the sand.  As, Mer-Gyver, I unloaded the truck, powdered and prepped the tails, and made sure everyone and everything was in place and ready to go!  We all headed out to the water’s edge where the children could wiggle their toes in the sand, collect shells and stones, and begin their merfolk transformation!

Mermaid Ashley and Mermaid Jenny helped the little girls with their hair and jewelry before slipping into their tails. Our little man turned out to be somewhat shy, so with the help of a few pirates and Mermaid Me, we created a private area for him transform into the strong tough merman we all know him to be!

With the children clad in brand new tails and the waves slowly rolling on the wet sand, it truly was a scene from a child’s imagination. Pictures were taken and soon the grown up mermaids joined the little ones on the beach. Myself and the little merman taking a moment to gaze out into the water where splashed by a rogue wave, but not to worry! I quickly scooped him up onto my tail (lap) and all was right again.  We rested for moment before he told me he wanted his legs back, with a little help from Dad, he was free to run the beach! The little mermaids and the grown up mermaids spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the sand while the wave licked at our tails and sea weed gathered around our flukes. We pointed out the sail boats, scuba diver, and surfer; we talked about seashells and cheered when the big waves would come crashing in.  At that moment the only thing in this world that mattered were my pod sisters, myself and these little girls.  True magic is often found right in front you and I believe that we lived that magic yesterday.

As days tend to do, this one also had to come to an end. We all slipped out of our sandy wet tails, Mermaid Ashley and Mermaid Jenny took the girls for walk in the waves and I headed over to play with our little boy. The water was too much for him and he decided that the dry sand of the beach was the safest place to be. So we throw seaweed pods at the waves and cheered when the water washed them away and if a wave got to close, he would run a little back and come running forward to throw more seaweed as the water gentle washed back down the sand. Lunch was a picnic on the grass at the beach park with pirates and mermaids, balloon animals and gifts from the pirates! 

Lady Pirate, we know why the rum's gone! 

After hugs and thank you’s, I loaded the truck back up and Thom and I headed back to the studio. It was a beautiful day full of love, laughter, and magic. I am so thankful to have been a part of that moment and I hope we touched their hearts and lives as much as they touched ours!  

Love, Peace, & Mermaids,

Meridian

Leave a comment, stay connected and be sure to follow Meridian Mer-Gyver at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meridian.mergyver

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeridianMerGyve

Blue Marbles Project: Sharing Random Acts of Blue Gratitude

"You are not a drop in the ocean; you are the entire ocean in a drop." – Rumi

Unfortunately, I will not be attending Mer-Palooza this year; however my dearest friend, King Neptune, will be attending and he will be carrying my message of Ocean Conservation. If you are attending Mer-Palooza this year make sure to hear the address from King Neptune, we are working together to introduce the Blue Marble Project to the Mermaid Community. Along with his address, King Neptune will have a bag of Blue Marbles that I have gifted to him so he may continue to spread our message!

What do Blue Marbles have to with Ocean Conservation?

  According to Dr. Wallace "J" Nichols, they are a way to teach people about respecting and helping our world’s oceans.  Dr. Wallace "J." Nichols is a Research Associate at California Academy of Sciences and co-founder of OceanRevolution.org, SEEtheWILD.org, GrupoTortuguero.org, and LiVBLUE.org, all of which are global campaigns to reconnect us to our oceans and life within that needs our care and protection.

A fun, simple way to help spread awareness and born of the mind of Dr. Wallace J. Nichols. Three years ago on Jacques Cousteau's 100th Birthday, the Blue Marble Project was born! Each marble is roughly the size of our planet when viewed from One Million Miles away; they are a pocket sized reminder of how important our Oceans are. Johnny Appleseed wondered around planting apple seeds to populate the land with delicious fruit for all to eat. Much like the story of Johnny Appleseed, these marbles are seeds of gratitude and awareness.  The Blue Marbles Project has set out to pass a blue marble through every person's hand on earth, with a simple message of gratitude along with it! What could be a better gift for mermaids to give than the gift of conservation through awareness?  Carry a few marbles in your pocket or purse, hand them out to people with a message… “Practice Random Acts of Ocean Kindness!”  You can purchase your very own Blue Marbles and join in on the Blue Marble game at BlueMarbles.org  Currently over one million blue marbles are traveling the world from person to person. When you are given a Blue Marble it is a gift to you and it is a gift to give again. Continue to pass the message and let the world know MerFolk support the Oceans!

Blue Marbles ~ The Game of Gratitude

1.       Get a blue marble

Dr. Wallace "J" Nichols

2.       Look through your marble and imagine the taste and feel of the ocean

3.       Hold the marble to your mind’s eye and think of the person you will give it to.

4.       Hold the marble to your heart and imagine the gratitude felt in giving and receiving.

5.       Give your marble away and watch it travel the world!

I hope you will all join me in the Blue Marbles game, you can get blue marbles anywhere, but if you get them from the Blue Marbles Project they will donate the profits in an effort to keep ocean kindness traveling around the globe! Plus the blue marbles will come in a great little mesh bag with cards to pass along with them.  Just tie the bag to your belt when you head out to the beach and give out a few blue marbles to curious folk and continue to … Live Blue!

For more information on Blue Marble Project, Dr. Nichols, and Purchasing Marbles check out…

BlueMarbles.og

Bethedifferentbynature.com

Wallacejnichols.org

Donate: http://digitalocean.net/projects/blue-marbles-project-share-random-acts-of-gratitude/

You can also follow Blue Marble on Facebook and Twitter

If you get a blue marble, post your photo with the marble on their page and mine!

www.facebook.com/meridian.mergyver

Love, Peace, & Mermaids,

  Meridian Mer-Gyver

Mermaid Rentals makes a Splash at CBS Studios!

CBS Studios!

The League of Extraordinary Mermaids

On July 4^th 2013 five mermaids from Thom Shouse’s Mermaid Rentals Pod made a show stopping appearance at CBS Studios annual Firework Show.  The Mermaids were stunning, the props were outstanding, and the crowd was more than pleased, but what does it take to look this good???

Mermaid Rentals employs a pod of talented, strong, and beautiful mermaids, we are not just rock sitters! We are the League of Extraordinaire Mermaids and we can do it all!  7AM shows up terribly early in morning, but in order to pull off a large event we all pull together, work together, and make the magic happen! Trucks, Mermaids, and Landsmen line the driveway of the Tail Man’s Studio early in the morning. Mermaids grab your tails, Landsmen grab the gear, let’s load up and head out to our next stop!

Landsman Ty and The Tail Man Thom

We pop over to WM Events in Torrance to pick props and scenery. A quick look over the giant the pumpkin, insulting wishing well, and the mummified mermaid (my favorite!)  the Landsmen began loading up the trucks and then it was off to Studio City and the CBS Studios!
Our caravan of mermaids and pirate props descends on the main gates of CBS studios, a quick check in and we are ushered off to our location for the day. Set up began quickly, the trucks were unloaded and it was time for the Landsmen to take over. The Mermaids were shown to our dress room which was located in the same sound stage that filmed Roseanne and Mary Taylor Moore.

We even had a star on our door again this year!  A moments rest in the air conditioning, a fresh face of make-up, and tousled hair we were ready to go. One by one our Landsmen carried or wheeled their mermaid to our booth! Over the course of a few hours we meet many children, took tons of pictures with grown-ups and little ones and raised over $250 dollars for the Children’s Tumor Foundation.

Thom and his Mer-Daughters 

It was an amazing day, but the sun was setting the air getting cooler and the mermaids needed to return to human form before they got too cold and shrank into sea foam.

 Just like this afternoon, one by one the mermaids were carried away. We were returned to the dressing rooms for warm clothes and a bite to eat before we all headed up to the rooftop to watch the firework display!  Each one of the mermaids snuggled up with their Landsmen to watch the fireworks explode in bright and glittering colors to a combination of modern music and classic American pride songs.

The Fireworks were incredible and from where we sat we could see firework shows all around us going off in the distance. Our show had ended and it was time for break down, all hands on deck!!!  Every able bodied hand was busy with break down, loading trucks and picking up trash. Our site was clean and cleared, as if we had never been there. Hugs and Kisses where had in rounds and we all got into our trucks and went our separate ways. Two trucks went to return the props, two cars began their drive home, and we headed back to the Tail Man’s Studio.  After a very long day, we got back in our truck and headed home….

“When Mermaids’ sleep they rest their heads on coral beds…”

Love, Peace, & Mermaids,

 Meridian Mer-Gyver

If you would like to help Meridian Mer-Gyver return to Mer-Palooza, please donate:

http://mer-palooza.com/meridian-mer-gyvers-guest-author-article-blue-marbles-project-merpaloozas-mermaid-journal/

Leave a comment, stay connected and be sure to follow Meridian Mer-Gyver at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meridian.mergyver

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeridianMerGyve

Blogger: http://meridianmer-gyver.blogspot.com/

Keep up with Thom Shoue and The League of Extraordinaire Mermaids:

http://www.mermaidrentals.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mermaid-Rentals/373445526043647?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/thom.shouse1?ref=ts&fref=ts

The Men behind the Mermaids: Merman Christian ~ The Fluke Maker

Yet another multi-talented merman in our midst, Merman Christian comes to us from Baltimore Maryland. Christian is an active staple in the independent film business and working his way into the major studios. It is no surprise that he majored in Theater, what may come as a surprise was this young man’s passion for the ocean and all the life within the deep blue. Merman Christian’s love for sharks, rays, whales, dolphins and starfish began as a child and was quickly followed by his new love…mermaids!  High School was the perfect time for him to major in his two passions, Marine Biology and Theater. Now that our stage has been set, Merman Christian has grown up and his dreams are being met. A couple years ago he started making his own monofins and stumbled upon the Mermaid Community. Seeing how passionate others were about mermaid life and seeing professional mermaids, it was time to take the plunge. Merman Christian created his own tail with his own monofin, but he also wanted to have a message…"Fighting for our Oceans on a much deeper scale..."

Meridian: Explain to me how you started making monofins and why?

Merman Christian: Well it started about 2 years ago when I rediscovered my immense love for the ocean. Since I was a kid everything was always about sharks, rays, jellyfish, and MERMAIDS, but as I got older I started getting into new projects like working and acting in film and television and I lost sight of my passion for the ocean, however I DID study Marine biology in high school. Anyway, one day I was online on Youtube and I happened to search for mermaids and that’s how I discovered the woman who is now my biggest inspiration in the mer-community and that is MERMAID MELISSA. I watched a lot of her videos and was fascinated by her breath-holding skills, her presence, but especially her awesome tail, which was made by the ever-talented MIKE VAN DAAL. It was then I really discovered the Mer-community and what it was all about, as well as the many tail makers out there. I decided that I would give it a try too! When I first set out making them I decided I wasn't really going to make tails because everyone else was making them and I was going to be different, so I was going to just make the monofins, cause let's face it: the FIN/FLUKE is the best part of having a mermaid tail. While a lot of tail makers’ offer beautiful, but expensive tails, I made mine on a much cheaper scale. I don’t try to deny that they can't tear or become damaged; they're more of a 'starter' fin.

Meridian: Tell me more about your efforts with the Chesapeake Bay. (I used live in Virginia near Chesapeake Bay, you have my full attention!)

Merman Christian: I love Virginia Beach! Great Whale Watching, haha. Well when I set out to be Merman Christian I didn't just want to be a professional Merman, I wanted to take it to another level and give back to our waters. The Chesapeake Bay is such a busy watershed, and while it offers beauty with its blue crabs, tidal marshes, and many other birds and wildlife, it also has a dark side to it when it comes to people dumping anything and everything into it, and that’s what I'm trying to gain awareness for. I went on an Aquarium outing to go and clean up the tidal marshes around Fort McHenry (home of the Star-Spangled Banner), and it was just constant trash floating in from the bay, it was really awful. We would get an area clean, and then within an hour it looked just as it did when we started. I want to be a spokesperson for keeping the bay clean and I picked the Merman symbol because it's something everyone can associate with, especially children!

The Winner of the First Merman of the Month Contest,
hosted by Merman Minerals on Facebook!

Meridian: What is it like being an aquatic performer?

Merman Christian: Well I've done theatre and film work for many years, but I have never done anything like THIS! It's quite the haul and can be exhausting at times, I mean when you're strapped into a 40" wide fluke and skin-tight tail it's definitely a workout! I have a breath-hold of 3 minutes but my goal is to push it to 4. I get water up my nose, my eyes are blood-shot at the end of the day, but when it really boils down to it, I love it. It's like the ultimate connection with the water and the ocean, a form of escape. I'm pushing very hard to get the National Aquarium here in Baltimore to allow Mers. Mermaids are even bigger than ever now, and other aquariums are already starting to get in on it. We provide educational services about the oceans and who better than a Mermaid, or MERMAN to teach others about that. I've been currently talking to some pretty big people, so it's looking more and more positive each day.

Meridian: Where can people view your film/print work?

Merman Christian: Currently all my Merman work can be viewed on my Facebook page. But I'm in the process of getting some videos together too which I will be putting on Youtube, which is also where you can find some of my film work.

Meridian: Are you currently working on any conservation programs?

Merman Christian: I am currently a member of the ACT program at the aquarium, which is where we go out and clean up the marshlands, beaches and other bodies of water around the area.

Check out Merman Christian and stay connected:

www.facebook/mermanchristian

www.imdb.com (under CHRIS O'BROCKI)

Love, Peace, & Mermaids,

 Meridian

Things to Look For this Month!

“The Men behind the Mermaids: Tail Makers”

“Merman Minerals Review” and more blogs by Merman Ryan

“A Merman’s Guide to Preening”

Make sure you stop by Merman Minerals.com to check out all the products from shave creams to shampoos, this stuff isn’t for the Mermaids! Merman of the Month Contest in now in full swing, swim on over to Merman Minerals Facebook page to vote for your favorite Hunky Merman or Sultry Pirate.

Check back with Mermaid Talk for more blogs, photos, and adventure!

Leave a comment, stay connected and be sure to follow Meridian Mer-Gyver at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meridian.mergyver

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeridianMerGyve

LGBT Pride the Mermaid Way

 “I've held a 'Mermaid' by the hand, as she grew up - they do exist, but many have no tail, or scales, or cannot even swim. But they do find their place to stand, given time.”

Today, June 26th 2013 has left a monumental mark on history, the DOMA Act has been overturned! June is a month where spring is in the air, fathers are celebrated, and it is the month of Superman’s birth. It is also an entire month dedicated to the LGBT community and today gives us all something more to celebrate! The Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and everyone else in between pride month! Here in California we have huge pride festivals all of over, Disneyland holds a special “gay day” and Parades line the streets of cities around the country.  While this a wonderful month to express your individuality, what does it have to do with mermaids?

EVERYTHING!

Coming out of the closet, transitioning from one gender to another and drag, all harkens back to the mermaid myths and mysterious power of TRANSITION.  From the very beginning legends have told us that mermaids hold the power of transition.  The Celtic Selkies are seals until they come on land and shed their seal form and YawksYawks of Australia are known as dancing mermaids, at night they emerge from the water with legs and dance about the land. Some stories tell us that if a mermaid dries out she will turn human and some mermaids do not have the power of transformation so they seek it out with a magic spell from a sea witch.  The heart and the very base of mermaids is the mystery behind their ability to transform and fit into two very different worlds.

><((((º> FIN FACT ><((((º>

The word Drag comes to us from William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Women were not allowed on stage, so naturally young men would play the female roles. Marked next to the male actor's name who was to play the female role was... D.R.A.G or Dressed Resembling A Girl.

Alexis Mateo RuPaul's Drag Race

Some of us are familiar with one little girl…Jazz the Mermaid, is a little girl on big mission. Early on Jazz knew she had been born into the wrong body; thankfully her parents came to her rescue and raised her to be an outstanding young woman.

 Now in her teens, Jazz is an activist for http://www.transkidspurplerainbow.org/ an organization

 helping transgender children and their families. 

To read more about Jazz, check issue 5 of Tail Flip magazine http://issuu.com/t_obrecht/docs/tail_flip_issue_5  

or follow her on MerNetwork!

In the UK, a small group of families started a support group that took the ideas of transitions, mermaids, and strength and applied them to their children. Children who were struggling with idea that they had been born into the wrong gender, children who identified as the other sex and children who were scared and frightened because they weren't like anyone else.  It all began with one of founding families son when he asked….” his Mum (when he was about 9) 'Would you still love me if I was a Mermaid?' - on other words, no matter how different I am, will you still love me? When we were looking for a name, this was mentioned, and the then director of the clinic that sees our children (Domenico Di Ceglie) said that the Mermaid was a popular image among trans woman of all ages.” Quote by Linda, Mermaids Liaison.  Their brochure is full of poems, artwork and helpful information!

 Mermaid Brochure.pdf

All Mermaid.Uk.Org images and poems are copyrighted!

When you allow your children to grow up in a family that understands and accepts them for who they are it will benefit them greatly. 

Mermaidsuk.org.uk does just that. ….

Quoted from the website

Mermaids is a support group for gender variant children and teenagers, and their families.  Our goal is to relieve the mental and emotional stress of all persons aged 19 years and under who are in any manner affected by gender identity issues, and their families and to advance public education in the same.

To this end, Mermaids advocates: Let the child develop as he or she is naturally meant to, whilst loving and accepting them for who they are at the present time.  Seek help to alleviate any distress they may show.  Childhood is precious, and children should be allowed to enjoy it to the full.

In support of this we:

• Offer support to parents, families, carers and others.
• Raise awareness about gender issues amongst professionals (e.g. teachers, doctors, social services. etc.,) and the general public

§  Campaign for the recognition of this issue and an increase in professional services

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love that Mermaidsuk.org.uk has taken the old myths and made them relevant to today’s issues. They are keeping out legends alive and at the same time our legends are keeping them alive.  These children will bring a future where hate crimes and sexual inequality are a thing of the past.  We must all learn to live and love together, it is not enough to tolerate we must embrace! To the LGBT Community and the Mermaid Community, I love, accept, and embrace all of you. 

Words from Mermaids (transgender children),

Quoted from the website

Day by Day

by Bree
Age 17

I dread the next day
I have come to dread everyday
for each one I live
the life of another not mine
I can never live
the life that first meant for me
this life I now live
is a prison unfamiliar
my soul is now trapped
in bones it never knew and foreign flesh the torture never dies and my hopeless cries cover my smile now and forever

Drawing by a Transgender Child

Sea Views

By DJ Kingsbury

I stare out into the sea
Wishing I'll be able to shine as me.
Though the outcome of who I am
Mixed with the nature
Of the cruelty of this world,
I just don't want to exist any more.
So I stare out into the sea
Wishing to reel in a part of me.
Only to fall out of it again.

Personal Account

By a Former Mermaids Member
Now in their 20's

How's about starting a normal life?
But won't starting in the middle always be difficult?
But I suppose I never thought life would be so, well - tricky!
What happens when the only thought that occupies your mind is
"I WANT TO BE NORMAL!"
and suddenly you realize that's the only thing you'll NEVER be. Of course you have friends offering to help.
But when they will never truly understand, what's the point?
As soon as you get close to normality somebody moves the barriers.
Sometimes I try to convince myself that I am normal,
it's just the ones who don't understand or don't try to,
who aren't normal.
Somehow, I never can truly convince myself enough. But when I ask for help what happens?
Nothing.
Exactly. Perhaps I'm being selfish, stubborn, paranoid, or one of the thousand other things I've been called.
Why does it all have to be so f****** hard?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These words are hard to read and even harder when you are the one who feels them, celebrate peoples difference, be curious not cruel and remember we are all of the same flesh and blood.

Love, Peace, and Mermaids,

    Meridian Mer-Gyver

Ps. there is a new book coming out “Mermaid Drowning” by Terry & Tiffany Jacobs. It is about a transgender woman coming to terms with her secret after 10 years of blissful marriage and three children. If you have a Kindle you can purchase the book through Amazon, otherwise you will have to wait for the hard copy!

The Men behind the Mermaids: Jesse Caldwell ~ Mermaid Creations LLC.

Photo: Merman Jesse and Sasha FireGypsy

Jesse was born in 1982 and grew up in Florida where he lived on a lake, where he was often found either near the water’s edge or completely content to be in the water. It wasn’t until a warm spring day that Jesse first laid eyes on a mermaid. While visiting the famous Weeki Wachee Springs and seeing the mermaids perform "The Second Magic Show", and later "Mermaids of the World” show, Jesse was hooked on mermaids and there was no looking back! He began by creating fabric tails and over the years he created several, but today, Jesse’s choice is silicone around 2011, Jesse began playing with the materials and by August of that year he had created his first silicone merman tail.  With no training, tutorials, or school to learn from Jesse taught himself through Trial and Error.


In 2012 Mermaid Creations, LLC was born; I had the privilege of meeting Jesse that same year at Mer-Palooza. Mermaid Rentals teamed up with Mermaid Creations and we did a little underwater filming one night after the pool party. Behind scenes footage Jesse recorded:

Meridian: What makes your Tails unique?

Jesse: Our attention to detail, our pricing, our 50% payment plan, our warranty, unique styling, and our free lifetime maintenance set our tails apart from everyone else. You simply won't find a better value from any other tail maker in the price range that we offer.

Meridian: Have your Tails ever appeared in Print or Film? Tell me about your favorite experience.

Jesse: No print or film work, yet. However, we are the new tail providers for Pacific Beach Hotel Honolulu. I have been invited to swim in a tail in their Oceanarium! As more and more people become familiar with our tails, I am sure they will start popping up in ads and on TV.

Thom Shouse on the set of "Splash"

Meridian: Which Tail was your favorite to create and why?

Jesse: Any tail that resembles the tails used in the Splash movies are my favorite to make. I am completely in love with the Splash tails. If you compare the look of my tails to Mermaid Rental Tails, you will see where I get my inspiration.
Meridian: Do you have a muse or idol? If so, who?

Jesse: I based my fluke off Thom's tails, but changed it slightly so that it was not identical. Thom Shouse would be my idol in the Mer business. I am truly thankful to be able to call him a friend.






Meridian: As an Artist, what is your favorite part of creating tails?

Jesse: My favorite part of creating tails is seeing the final product on the mermaid or merman it was intended for.

To find out more about Mermaid Creations LLC or Jesse please visit:

Mermaid Creations LLC. Website: http://www.mermaidcreations-inc.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MermaidCreationsByMermanJesse

MerNetwork: http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?1224-Mermaid-Creations

Mermaid Natalie & Mermaid Amber
 swimming in Mermaid Creation LLC.
Tails. Mer-Palooza 2012

Love, Peace, & Mermaids,

 Meridian

Things to Look For this Month!
“The Men behind the Mermaids: Tail Makers”
“Merman Minerals Review” and more blogs by Merman Ryan
“A Merman’s Guide to Preening”

Make sure you stop by Merman Minerals.com to check out all the products from shave creams to shampoos, this stuff isn’t for the Mermaids! Merman of the Month Contest in now in full swing, swim on over to Merman Minerals Facebook page to vote for your favorite Hunky Merman or Sultry Pirate.

Check back with Mermaid Talk for more blogs, photos, and adventure!

Leave a comment, stay connected and be sure to follow Meridian Mer-Gyver at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meridian.mergyver

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeridianMerGyve

Blogger: http://meridianmer-gyver.blogspot.com/

Merman Jesse & Angel the Little Merman at Mer-palooza 2012

Art Meets Ocean Conservation!

"Wish you were here?"


On July 18th, 2010 an artist named Laura Keeble dropped off this fantastic sculpture outside an Essex Starbucks on Southend High Street. The installation "Wish you were here?" only lasted 30 mins until Starbucks employees hauled it away. The effigy was the artist's contribution to UK's first annual ARTSIDE project (www.artside.org.uk). Artists participating within ARTSIDE were encouraged to re-evaluate British holiday town traditions by showing an alternative to common seaside images. The mermaid-consumer was left perishing in a sea of coffee beans, grounds, half molten Styrofoam cups and filth.

I wish I knew where she is now!

I absolutely love seeing people take a political stand that speaks volumes without issuing one word! There is very little info out there on this particular installation, however you can look up the Artist at:

http://www.laurakeeble.com/

 All of her work is compelling, everything has a deep and profound meaning. Besides this installation, Christmas Shopping and Idol Worship are two of my Favorites! Please check out her work and share it with others, Art with a message needs to be heard. Many of her installations only last a few hours, the stores are quick to remove her work. The Medusa from her installation "Without Consent" was confiscated by the Versace employs. When Laura Keeble asked about the statue she was told it belonged to Versace and that is make an appearance at Halloween as part of their decoration! If the art must perish for the cause then lets keep the message moving!

Close-up of the waste humans use to destroy our planet.

Close-up of Mermaid Consumer

Love, Peace, and Mermaids,

   Meridian Mer-Gyver

Mermaid Ambassador & Social Media Corresspondent

for Mermaid Minerals and Professional Mermaid.

www.facebook.com/meridian.mergyver