Guests arriving at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award opening ceremony tonight filed past a greenwashed oil executive, an angry orangutang, a languishing tiger and a wandering photography exhibition – all bent on ending Shell’s sponsorship deal with the Natural History Museum.
Kick Shell out of the Natural History Museum
Roving version of the Shell's Wild Lie counter-exhibition
Greenwashed oil exec killing off the wildlife
Kick Shell out of Rossport
Shell - protecting wildlife?
Tonight saw the opening of the Shell-sponsored Wildlife Photographer of theYear Award at the Natural History Museum. As guests began to queue up outside the main gates, London Rising Tide (never one to miss an oily-arty opening) turned up armed with banners, boiler suits, animal costumes and our very own Shell Wildlie counter-exhibition. Avoiding the now ever-present protest pen system, a gigantic ‘Danger Keep Out Shell Hell in Operation!’ banner was unfurled and tied to the imposing front gates. The animals held a die-in to highlight the tragic irony of a monstrous oil company sponsoring an award designed to celebrate rather than decimate the natural world. And the rest of us mingled with the crowd, handing out leaflets and forming a roving display of photographs of oil and climate-change affected communities and ecosystems around the world (see www.artnotoil.org.uk).
It was a pleasant and refreshing experience to find so much support from the assembled crowd, including photographers and museum staff and members. Many agreed to register their disgust once inside the museum, and to sign up to our statement opposing the sponsorship deal (to sign up, go to
http://www.shelloiledwildlife.org.uk/petition.html).
As the opening night got underway, bets were being taken that the Natural History Museum will not be accepting Shell’s oil money again next year. And Shell being kicked out of the Natural History Museum could be the beginning of the end for oil sponsorship of the arts.
Find out more and get involved in the campaign at www.londonrisingtide.org.uk
It was a pleasant and refreshing experience to find so much support from the assembled crowd, including photographers and museum staff and members. Many agreed to register their disgust once inside the museum, and to sign up to our statement opposing the sponsorship deal (to sign up, go to
http://www.shelloiledwildlife.org.uk/petition.html). As the opening night got underway, bets were being taken that the Natural History Museum will not be accepting Shell’s oil money again next year. And Shell being kicked out of the Natural History Museum could be the beginning of the end for oil sponsorship of the arts.
Find out more and get involved in the campaign at www.londonrisingtide.org.uk
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