A week of action to kick BP out of our cultural spaces
14–20 April 2011
In the week between BP’s AGM and the one-year anniversary of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, we are calling for actions and creative interventions to show the true nature of BP’s damaging activities around the world, and to persuade our most prestigious galleries and cultural spaces to liberate themselves from BP’s dirty money.
Sponsorship of galleries, museums and other cultural spaces is one of the most important ways BP tries to protect its reputation and buy our acceptance. By breaking off BP’s relationship with our most prestigious cultural institutions, we strike a blow to BP’s precious brand, topple BP’s powerful position in our society, and reclaim our public spaces. On the anniversary of the Gulf spill, let’s reveal the sticky black stuff behind BP’s shiny green logo, and pile on the pressure to kick BP out of our cultural spaces for good.
Creative interventions will be popping up at sponsored galleries and institutions throughout the week, so watch this space, or better yet plan your own!
This week of action is called by Art Not Oil, Climate Camp London, Climate Rush, Indigenous Environmental Network, Liberate Tate, London Rising Tide and UK Tar Sands Network
More info including events list, targets and resources:
http://www.artnotoil.org.uk/bpweekofaction
Facebook event: www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=198819640150485
INCLUDING…
The Great BP-sponsored sleep-in
Sunday 17 April 2011, 2PM at Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG
To mark the one year anniversary of the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill, join us for ‘The great BP-sponsored sleep-in’, a 4‑minute flashmob art installation inside Tate Modern. Imagine the turbine hall of this former power station filled with BP-branded sleeping figures, who will soon wake from their BP-sponsored coma to sound the climate alarm.
BP’s greenwash is sleepwalking us into the climate crisis. BP sponsors galleries like Tate to try and clean up its tarnished image, and distract us from its devastating activities around the world. Every pound of dirty oil money accepted by Tate helps legitimise a long legacy of environmental destruction and human rights abuses. It’s time to take off the blindfold, rub the sponsorship sleep from our eyes, and give Tate and BP a wake-up call.
This family friendly event will highlight BP’s sponsorship to the public, and show that we are not prepared to stand by as the Tate helps BP greenwash its image… and allow us all a few minutes to dream of a future free from oil spills and oil sponsorship of the arts.
SIX STEPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL SPONSORED SLEEP-IN
1. Synchronise your watch using this website:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fullscreen.html?n=136
2. Enter the building before 2PM
3. Choose your sleep-in spot – café, corridor, lift, gift shop, and of course exhibits are all fair game, but please pick somewhere on Levels 1 (turbine hall level), 2 or 3 (this is where our camera crews will be to film the fun).
4. At exactly 2.15PM, unpack your BP branded sheet, pillow, pyjamas, sleep mask, teddy bear, alarm clock or any other sleep related props (see here for ideas and downloadable props:
http://www.artnotoil.org.uk/bpweekofaction/resources) and start the sleep-in!
5. Exactly 4 minutes later, the flash mob will be over as alarm clocks sound the wake-up call throughout the gallery. Take off your sponsored blindfolds and bedding, leave them behind if you wish, and head outside to…
6. Post-slumber party on the South Bank. Listen to speakers from BP-affected communities from the Gulf of Mexico and the Canadian Tar Sands, help engage gallery-goers with leaflets and vox pop video messages, and enjoy live music and a pedal-powered sound system.
So join us on April 17th, and show the Tate that we won’t take oil sponsorship of the arts lying down!
More info: http://www.artnotoil.org.uk/bpweekofaction/flashmob
Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=137704989634221