London Rising tide has been taking direct action against BP for some time and the next big event is coming up, we’d love your input and for anyone who is up for it to come and see what we’re doing, join in, have fun and show some alternative resistance to the oil industry…


Greenwash or Us: The 1st Annual Exhibition of Resistance to Big Oil & the Corporate Hijacking of 'the Arts', June 15th-21st 2004

- a celebration of DIY expression and organisation, fighting corporate control with creativity -

WE NEED YOUR ART!

To celebrate the beginning of the end of BP's sponsorship of the National Portrait Award, come and help London Rising Tide (LRT) put together An Exhibition of Resistance to Big Oil& the Corporate Hijacking of 'the Arts', from June 15th-21st 2004.

We're asking you to rub your eyes, wipe away the mirage of 'sustainable development' and 'beyond petroleum', and create a true portrait of an oil company. It's time to strip away the greenwash. In fact it's time to reclaim the whole planet from these 21st century robber barons and their bloody oil wars, climate chaos and massive pay hikes. We know there are better worlds out there, worlds that have nothing to do with profit or fossil fuels...or art markets for that matter.

It's our desire to see London ablaze with powerful, passionate, positive, independent art with attitude during the week - on our streets, on our airwaves, in galleries, in social centres and squats, cinemas, cafes...you name it.
We've got a few plans we'd love help with, (including the setting up of our own temporary exhibition space), but it would also be great if you and your mates were able to sort your own events.

Here are some dates to keep free:
* Sunday 6th June, midday-9pm, LARC (www.londonarc.org), 62 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1ES: a day of making, painting, planning, chatting & eating
* Wednesday June 16th, 4pm: march of the true portraits from BP HQ (1 St. James' Square, SW1) to the private view of Portrait Award finalists, National Portrait Gallery [NPG, St. Martin's Lane, WC2])
* Monday June 21st: (summer solstice; Award winner announced at big NPG party.)

Contacts and further information: LRT, part of the Rising Tide UK and international networks, takes creative action to combat the root causes of climate chaos and to help build movements for social & ecological justice.
Tel: 07969 786770;  london@risingtide.org.uk,
c/o 62 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1ES.
Check www.londonrisingtide.org.uk for regular updates.
See also www.burningplanet.net, www.risingtide.org.uk, www.nonewoil.org & Peoples' Global Action: www.agp.org
Let's mobilise our creativity to kick the corporations out of the galleries, museums, opera, Planet Earth etc.


'Greenwash or Us' Street Party
Private View, Public Exposure
16th June,
This is a call out asking you to join London Rising Tide to celebrate our resistance to the corporate hijacking of the arts by BP and their greenwash fiends.

On 16th June at 4pm there will be a Street Party moving from outside BP's offices in St. James Square (between Green Park and Piccadilly) to the National Portrait Gallery where BP sponsors the National Portrait Award, pulling their nasty brand of cultural PR wool over everyone's eyes. But not us, we see right through the branding and we are determined to show the NPG that we will not stand for such sickening hypocrisy.
Whilst BP are busy encouraging British artists and their creative talent, indigenous peoples are having their lands stolen, poisoned and destroyed. All over the world people's livelihoods and human rights are severely violated as BP, ExxonMobil, Shell and the rest of the industry plunder and mutilate for the sake of oil (like in the disastrous Baku Ceyhan and Sakhalin pipelines). Our environment and our climate are being thrown into chaos whilst the culprits try to blind us with their sunny logos and cultural sponsorship.
We want to tell BP and the NPG that the greenwash is not working. The National Portrait Award holds its Private View and party (for entrants, judges, the media and BP cronies) inside the NPG on the evening of June 16th. Let's show them a real party, a party of resistance with noise, art and music and make their private party a very public one.

Bring your own art (or somebody else's)!
It would be great to see the street party alive with our alternative art and show the NPG the true faces of big oil. Bring any medium that symbolises this, painting, photographs, banners, costume, music and dance.

Exhibition of Resistance
Private View, Public Exposure is part of a wider week of events as part of Greenwash Or Us, an Exhibition of Resistance' happening at various reclaimed spaces in central London. There will be week of alternative art depicting the true face of an oil company, films, workshops, music and debate from 14th to 21st June. Venue to be confirmed.
If you'd like to get involved, we'd love your help; if you can send us your art or just want to know more,
please contact: 07969 786770

62 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1ES
www.londonrisingtide.org.uk
email us at:  london@risingtide.org.uk