The Great BP-sponsored Sleep-in Flash Mob
London Rising Tide / Art not Oil | 07.04.2011 14:57 | Tar Sands | Climate Chaos | Energy Crisis | Social Struggles | Cambridge
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.
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
London Rising Tide / Art not Oil
e-mail:
london@risingtide.org.uk
Homepage:
http://www.artnotoil.org.uk/bpweekofaction/flashmob