9.07.2012

Activists who oppose BP's sponsorship of Turbine Hall at the Tate have carried a huge turbine blade across Millennium bridge before depositing in the gallery in protest at BP 's sponsorship. The wind turbine, which weighs one and a half tonnes, had been transported hundreds of miles after being decommissioned in Wales. The artwork, called ‘The Gift’, was installed by over 100 members of the group Liberate Tate, that has become renowned for artworks aimed at ending the relationship between the Tate and Big Oil.Last December, Tate's director, Sir Nicholas Serota, was presented with a petition from 8,000 Tate members and visitors, organized by Liberate Tate and two other campaign groups, Platform and Art Not Oil, reports the Guardian. Two months later, five gallons of molasses were poured down Tate Britain's stairs at its summer party.
Sharon Palmer from Liberate Tate said: “For more than 20 years Tate has been used by BP to present an image of corporate benevolence while the oil company has been involved in environmental and human rights controversies the world over.” She added: “Liberate Tate has created this artwork using an icon of renewable energy with an express wish that Tate will have the courage to take leadership in addressing the threat of catastrophic climate change and end its relationship with BP.”BP's sponsorship of British arts institutions, including the National Gallery and the Royal Opera House, is worth more than £1m a year. It first attracted protests after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.