Shell Sponsored Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Belfast

antrim | environment | news report

Wednesday December 20, 2006 00:06

by Terry

‘The Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ is an annual award and exhibition organised by the Natural History Museum in London, and the BBC Wildlife Magazine. The exhibition goes on an extensive tour of the U.K., as well as touring Spain, Portugal, Poland, Australia, the U.S., the Netherlands, and Abu Dhabi.
Shell have a two year sponsorship deal with the Natural History Museum, which means that ’The Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ is the ’Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ until at least late 2008.
There has been some campaigning in London to put pressure on the Natural History Museum not to take sponsorship from Shell.

On the 24th of March 2007 the exhibition is due to arrive in Belfast, running in W5 in the Odyssey (www.w5online.co.uk), on Queen’s Quay, until the 17th of June. Some photos from the exhibition are displayed here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/slideshow/page/0,,1931170,00.html

James Smith, Chairman of Shell UK said, (or so the press release reads): “We are delighted to be sponsoring this wonderful competition. It highlights the importance of supporting global biodiversity. This is an area of considerable importance to us as a company and one to which we are keenly committed.”

The Shell press release also informs us that: “We are committed to respecting the basic concept of protected areas.”. Whatever about the ultimately perhaps illusionary role played by protected areas in defending bio-diversity (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_biogeography or http://www.eco-action.org/dod/no5/biodiversity.htm) we don’t have to travel very far, just to north west Mayo, to realise the reality of Shell’s commitments, see: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/77807

There is a book accompanying the exhibition, and its foreword is penned by the “Executive Director” of the International League of Conservation Photographers. She writes: “A photograph created by the late Peter Dombrovskis as an anguished cry for the imminent loss of the mighty Franklin-Gordon River in Tasmania, Australia, became the lightening rod that inspired an entire nation to oppose a project that would have dammed one of our planet’s most beautiful wild rivers.”
“I invite photographers around the world to make it their mission not just to capture beautiful moments but also to produce work that infects others with purpose.”.

This wouldn’t be the first case of a conservation organisation getting bedding down with a corporate; see for instance the links between the World Wide Fund for nature (WWF) and aluminium smelters and dams in Iceland, see: http://www.savingiceland.org/node/229
While here in Ireland, in a related theme, we have had apparent development NGO Suas running courses jointly with the World Bank, see: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/68017

In fact building such alliances is one of the suggestions in the text books on green washing, see: http://www.eco-action.org/dod/no5/goinggreen.htm

The counter-publicity to the launch of the exhibition and the awarding ceremony in London in October included a speaking tour: http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/corporates/news/shell_wi....html, and an alternative photography exhibition from Art Not Oil, which you can see here: http://www.artnotoil.org.uk/gallery/v/Shell/
You can sign a petition statement against the Natural History Museum taking this sponsorship, the statement can be read here: http://www.shelloiledwildlife.org.uk/petition.html and that website also has e-mail addresses for the various people and bodies responsible for accepting the sponsorship so you can contact them and complain.

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'SHELL'S WILD LIE' COMES TO ABERDEEN ON TRAIL OF BP PORTRAIT AWARD

by Harry Helios - Art Not Oil

Tue Dec 26, 2006 13:20

(PS. Anyone in Belfast want to host this exhibition in March? Let us know...)

SHELL'S WILD LIE COMES TO ABERDEEN ON TRAIL OF BP PORTRAIT AWARD

* Art Not Oil presents 'Shell's Wild Lie' *

* at the Belmont Cinema Bar, 49 Belmont Street, Aberdeen AB10 1JS *

* Opens December 21st 2006; runs until January 17th 2007 *

With the BP Portrait Award exhibition providing the highest quality greenwash for BP at the Aberdeen Art Gallery, Art Not Oil presents what it hopes is a truer portrait of the oil industry and its impacts at the Belmont Cinema. This is the third year of the Art Not Oil exhibition, and the second year that it has trailed the BP Portrait around the country.

Since Art Not Oil is also targeting Shell's sponsorship of the Natural History Museum's 'Wildlife Photographer of the Year' exhibition, the Belmont will be playing host to the 'Shell's Wild
Lie' counter-exhibition, a powerful collection of photographs which lay waste to Shell's pretence of sustainability.

Belmont Cinema: 01224 343536; http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/
cinema_home_date.aspx?venueId=bmnt
Art Not Oil: info@artnotoil.org.uk; 07706 794665;
www.artnotoil.org.uk, www.shelloiledwildlife.org.uk

-------------------------

More on Art Not Oil:

* for creativity, climate justice and an end to oil industry sponsorship of the arts *

ART NOT OIL SHEDS LIGHT AND SHADOW ON THE OIL INDUSTRY

Climate chaos is set to have a catastrophic effect on all of us, while hitting the poorest hardest. Oil is a curse that also fuels war, poverty and environmental destruction. Yet the companies most responsible are profiting handsomely, and they are still welcome it seems in many of our most prestigious public galleries and museums. Why?

Art Not Oil is an exhibition and a campaign, committed to showing
powerful
political/ecological art, to seeing an end to oil sponsorship of the arts, and to helping build movements for climate justice both here and
throughout the world. As well as work that looks at the negative
impacts
of fossil fuels, we welcome work that looks at positive alternatives and solutions. Keep your art flowing in - turn your visions, nightmares, anger and hope into creative resistance!

The third annual exhibition opened in London in June 2006, ran in
Northampton during October and November, and heads to Aberdeen (Dec- Jan, tracking the BP Portrait Award), Hackney (Jan-Feb), Bristol (in March 2007, also tracking the BP Portrait) & beyond...

Shell is the new sponsor of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Award, and there's a 'Shell's Wild Lie' campaign and counter-
exhibition underway. Send your photos, artworks and ideas, & see
www.shelloiledwildlife.org.uk

Art Not Oil is a project of London Rising Tide:
www.londonrisingtide.org.uk
www.artnotoil.org.uk
www.nationalpetroleumgallery.org.uk
Tel: 07708 794665
info@artnotoil.org.uk
london@risingtide.org.uk

See also:
www.risingtide.org.uk
www.climatecamp.org.uk

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Shell Sponsored Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Belfast

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