Art Not Oil

For immediate release: Thursday 21st April 2011

For more information contact Simon Bradley, 07984 541 490

STUDENTS PROTEST BP'S SPONSORSHIP OF MANCHESTER MUSEUM

Activists from the University of Manchester erect an alternative BP

logo to mark the first anniversary of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Manchester (20th April 2011) - To mark the first anniversary of the

Deepwater Horizon oil spill, students from the University of

Manchester have protested against BP's sponsorship of the Manchester

Museum by erecting an alternative BP logo inside the museum. BP is

currently sponsoring the museum's China: Journey to the East

exhibition. Students from environmental campaign group People & Planet

entered the museum and erected artwork depicting the BP logo dripping

in oil. The protesters proceeded to hand out leaflets containing

information explaining the harm BP that does to the environment, and

why they feel that it is inappropriate for the Manchester Museum to

accept sponsorship money from BP.

BP sponsors the Museum's current nine-month exhibition, China: Journey

to the East, which brings together objects from over 3,000 years of

Chinese history. The exhibition opened last September and runs until June [1].

Wednesday 20th April is the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater

Horizon disaster, which caused the largest off-shore oil spill in

American history [2]. On 20th April 2010 a large explosion ripped

through the BP-run Deepwater Horizon oil rig. The resultant spill saw

more than two million gallons of oil leak in to the Gulf of Mexico [3].

The People & Planet group at the University of Manchester is an

autonomous part of the nationwide People & Planet network, which

brings students together to campaign on issues of human rights and the environment.

Said Annette Guilding, of People & Planet: “Although we have chosen

today, the first anniversary of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, for our

action, that incident is just one small example from BP's litany of

crimes against the environment. While we understand that the

Manchester Museum needs to find funding somehow, by accepting BP's oil

money they are legitimising the company's other, harmful activities.

By sponsoring cultural institutions and the arts, BP are trying to

make it seem like we need them – but we do not. As the Museum is part

of our University, we feel it is up to us – the students – to take a stand against BP.”

Philosophy student Simon Bradley said “BP have tried to rebrand

themselves as a green company. However, they continue to invest in the

world’s most environmentally damaging projects. They are a huge

contributor to climate change. By subverting BP’s logo we aim to

highlight the fact that this is simply greenwash and that oil still

lies at the heart of BP’s business. We need to move beyond oil.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact Simon Bradley of University of Manchester People and Planet

on 07984 541 490

or simonmarkbradley@gmail.com

Photographs provided upon request.

REFERENCES

[1] http://www.museum.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/exhibitions/chinajourneytotheeast/

[2] http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-05-27-oil-spill-news_N.htm?csp=34news

[3]

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/08/new-estimate-puts-oil-leak-at-49-million-barrels.html