legolostatsea

From magic wands to witches' hats and black bats, our new book about the great Lego spill of 1997 reveals what else plummeted into the ocean on that fateful day. #oceanplastic

In case anyone’s looking for last minute Christmas present ideas for beachcombers, ocean lovers, aficionados of Lego, environmentalists, etc there are still some copies of our book available. #Shamelessplug

《漂。流》 展演音樂會片段 ♥️💛 很開心終於能和大家分享9月在台灣與時間藝術工作室 @timeartstudioig 的音樂會！完整版已經上YouTube了～歡迎大家收看！特別喜歡這段大家一起在台上放飛自我玩樂高即興的片段🥰 謝謝 @wuchengyuflutist @kuanchieh @tingshuochang @shanghuachou @chang_renee @h1088108 @wowhugo @ach_0923 的演出！已經在期待下一次了 🤩🤩🤩 特別感謝河鼓數位影音的吳東晏老師以及楊于宣帶領的錄影團隊以及後續的精彩剪輯，還有黃致誠的想響音樂工作室 @want_louder_studio 帶給我們如此精彩的視覺饗宴🎉 Bricks on Beach! Thrilled to finally share my September premiere with TimeArt Studio in Taiwan! It was such a spectacle to see everyone on stage improvising with LEGO and their instruments at the same time! This clip depicts the stunning visuals from @legolostatsea and you can watch the whole performance on my YouTube Channel (link in bio). It has been such an experience writing music to Tracey’s photos and I hope to see this performance again very soon ❤️ #composer #newmusic #contemporarymusic #composerlife #taiwan #violin #music #cello #legolostatsea #multimedia #timeartstudio #flute #clarinet #guzheng #sheng #percussion #improvisation

Another Lego dragon has escaped the clutches of the ocean! It was discovered today by 14-year-old Liutauras among swathes of kelp washed ashore on the coast of south-east Cornwall. This is the second Lego dragon that Liutauras has found and one of 33,427 black Lego dragons lost overboard from the Tokio Express 20 miles off Land’s End back in 1997. Liutauras found this sea-weary dragon while he and his family were picking up plastic from the beach in the aftermath of Storm Burt. It seems the dragon hunting season has begun. Many thanks to Liutauras’s father Vytautas Cemolonskas for giving us permission to share his video.

Another elusive Lego octopus has just been discovered! This one was found in the midst of Storm Bert on Saturday on a beach in Cornwall by marine medic Constance Morris, founder of Grampus Campus, a wonderful organisation which raises awareness and educates about the marine environment and natural history around Cornwall. “Happy does not describe how it feels to finally find one of the famous Lego octopuses after all these years of looking,” said Constance. Back in 1997, 4,200 of these black Lego octopuses tumbled into the ocean when a shipping container with nearly five million pieces of Lego inside fell off the cargo ship Tokio Express 20 miles off Land’s End. They’re still turning up, nearly 28 years on. Thanks so much for giving us permission to feature your find and share your video, Constance! As well as founding Grampus Campus, Constance is also a strandings officer and hotline co-ordinator for the Marine Strandings Network. And the lovely dog watching on with interest is Axel.

Well, it may have been a day too late for World Octopus Day but another Lego octopus from The Great Lego Spill of 1997 has just surfaced! It was discovered today at Marazion in Cornwall by 16 year old Louis-Matisse Nicholls, who is here on Instagram as @minibeachcleaner. Louis-Matisse has been cleaning beaches for most of his life and does so much to keep Cornwall’s shores clear of litter. This Lego octopus is one of 4,200 lost overboard from the Tokio Express 27 years ago. Congratulations on your find, Louis-Matisse, and thank you so much for giving us permission to share your photo.

News just in - another Lego octopus has just been found, this time by 16 year old Louis-Matisse Nicholls, known here on Instagram as @minibeachcleaner. A day after World Octopus Day too! @minibeachcleaner has been cleaning beaches most of his life and does so much to keep Cornwall’s shores clear of litter. Congratulations on your find @minibeachcleaner and thank you so much for sharing your video with us. The Lego octopus is one of 4,200 lost overboard from the Tokio Express back in 1997.

It’s World Octopus Day. There were 4,200 Lego octopuses inside the shipping container that fell off the Tokio Express in 1997. We found our first Lego octopus soon afterwards but didn’t discover another for 18 years. They do still turn up though. Two were found in Cornwall this year. #WorldOctopusDay

13-year-old Liutauras made headlines earlier this year when he found one of the much sought after Lego octopuses from the Great Lego Spill of 1997. At the time, he said his next goal was to find one of the 33,941 Lego dragons lost overboard from the Tokio Express at the same time. Well look what he found today! “It was Liutauras’ birthday yesterday, so we travelled a lot for fossil hunting and today we did Lego hunting,” said his father Vytautas Cemolonskas, who kindly sent us this video. “This was his best birthday present and best find this week.” You can see more of Liutauras’ treasure hunting adventures on his youtube channel, Liutauras Treasure Hunter. You need the sound up for this video!

Another storm-battered Lego dragon has made it ashore. It was discovered yesterday at Whitsand Bay in Cornwall by Ian Ellis. “The Lego dragons are few and far between these days, so I was chuffed to find it,” he said. “He’s seen better days, but still identifies as a dragon. I certainly knew what it was.” This Lego dragon is one of 33,941 lost overboard from the Tokio Express 20 miles off Land’s End back in 1997. It’s interesting to see how some seem to have morphed into dodos during their ocean adventures. Many thanks to Ian Ellis for giving us permission to share his picture.

CATCH OF THE DAY! Oh my goodness – our very first Lego shark from the Great Lego Spill of 1997 has just been hauled up from the deep! Caught in a fisherman’s net and somewhat battered and bruised after 27 years at the bottom of the ocean, this Lego shark is one of 51,800 lost overboard from the Tokio Express and the only one we’ve ever seen. “Sharky trawled up 20 miles south of Penzance on fishing vessel FY848 Defiant,” wrote fisherman Richard West in a message to us late Tuesday night. “I’m so happy about it - it’s way better than any fish I’ve caught all week. Credits to vessel skipper Andrew Shaw, who thinks I am insane for how excited I got about finding it.” These Lego sharks featured in several Lego sets from 1997, including Shark Cage Cove, Shark Attack and Deep Sea Bounty. Much seaworn, this Lego shark is missing its dorsal fin. Even Lego sharks gradually break apart into smaller and smaller fragments, eventually becoming microplastics. Only another 51,799 to find.

“OMG OMG OMG…..at last after years of searching I find my very first piece of lego, lost at sea, beyond excited, and yes, I did a celebratory lego dance,” writes Chris Pringle @londonrudeboy2 owner of the @spencer_thorn bookshop in Bude. “I have been selling Adrift in my independent bookshop in North Cornwall since it was published and cannot rate it highly enough to friends and customers. Can’t describe how delighted I am, I found treasure.” Thanks so much @londonrudeboy2 for allowing us to share your picture and your post. And congratulations on your find!