Our World is our Biggest Canvas, and our Choices our Biggest Brushstrokes

Sitting about three miles apart, on opposite banks of the Thames, Tate Britain and Tate Modern sprang from humble beginnings as Millbank’s Panopticon Prison and Bankside Power Station respectively. Until 1890, Tate Britain’s location facilitated the movement of those destined for transportation to Australia, whilst Tate Modern’s imposing structure was an inefficient power station (60% burnt was wasted), closed in 1981 and re-opening as Tate Modern almost 20 years later in May 2000. Since then more than 40 million people have passed through Tate Modern’s doors, with an annual average of five million. This has proved to be a very successful use of derelict buildings, providing worthwhile tourist attractions in the UK. It is also a marketing manager’s dream.

In an arts and activism workshop commissioned by Tate itself, participants were told they would be censored from making interventions against Tate sponsors, despite no plans to do so at the time. Incensed by the audacity of this censorship, Liberate Tate was formed to protest in new and inventive ways against unethical sponsorship and the ramifications of BP’s contributions. Their most recent creations are three audio tours. One for Tate Britain, another for the boat crossing, and a third at Tate Modern.

One Tuesday afternoon, a friend and I begin at the Tate Britain with ‘Panaudicon.’ Over somewhat distracting background music and a computerised vocal interlude, gentle voices narrate the story of how oil drilling began, and the origins of the building in which we stood. The information gleaned was relevant, interesting and in some places poetic, though it was easy for one’s mind to wander. The 45 minute tour lacked a physical connection with the art or the building around us, and was awkward at times.

We were accompanied by ‘This is not an Oil Tanker,’ on the boat to Tate Modern. The second audio tour focuses on British Columbia and the desperate attempts of BP to get at the crude oil in the tar sands, which ultimately resulted in the devastating oil spill of 2010. A family narrates an informative piece, highlighting the human and animal habitats destroyed and polluted as BP endlessly endeavours to hollow out the earth. The endearing children ‘pray every night’ to stop the oil still leaking into the sea today, and are accompanied by a beautifully melodic anti-BP song, giving a palpable connection to the repercussions of deep water drilling.

At the Tate Modern, ‘Drilling the Dirt (a temporary difficulty),’ is the most devastating indictment of BP’s sponsorship. It is the most informative of the three tours, with upsetting statistics and revelations pumped into our ears throughout. Designed to hammer home the worldwide destruction caused by BP, the tour tells us about the countries they are draining, such as Iraq and Azerbaijan. Established authors cite proof of meetings attended by BP and UK government representatives in which they planned to exploit recent wars. There is a heartfelt speech by the mother of a young man killed when the Deepwater Horizon rig erupted, with a plea to acknowledge the obvious risks of oil drilling. Of all the tours, it is the third that moves me the most, leaving me in no doubt that BP’s sponsorship needs to be challenged.

BP is desperate for good publicity following the oil spill which damaged businesses, killed wildlife, and left many with respiratory problems and what has now been dubbed ‘The BP Cough,’ after cleaning agents used after the explosion caused oil particles to become airborne and stick in the lungs of nearby residents. If BP is simply donating to the arts in order to share their wealth, why then does their logo so prominently adorn the signs of the institutions they support?

A logo which will soon be beamed around the world as they play sustainable partner to the greenest Olympics ever. Among the other anti-BP campaigns is Greenwash Gold, who are conducting a vote for the worst Olympic sponsorship 2012 on their website www.greenwashgold.org. It’s important that money does not continue to drown out the growing number of voices speaking out.

These tours are downloadable at tateatate.org and for those further afield, can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home.

By Sarah Cowan