Activist collective BP or not BP? has known as on architects to not work on the British Museum’s lately introduced redevelopment masterplan as it is going to be funded by oil firm BP.
In an Instagram publish on Friday, the organisation, which seeks to finish oil sponsorship of tradition, stated: “Architects: we invite you to pledge to not work with the British Museum till their new partnership with BP is dropped.”
“The British Museum lately accepted the most important single company donation to the humanities within the UK,” it added.
“£50 million from oil large BP, over the subsequent ten years to ‘assist ship the museum’s redevelopment masterplan’. This donation, amidst an escalating local weather disaster, has additionally been described as ‘one of many greatest, most brazen greenwashing sponsorship offers the sector has ever seen.'”
BP or not BP? urged architects to not apply for the job in an Instagram publish
In December, the British Museum introduced plans for an architectural competitors to redevelop round 7,500 sq. metres of gallery house at its central London location, with purposes set to open in spring.
This might be supported by the decade-long partnership with BP.
“A brand new multi-year partnership with BP will help the long run transformation of the museum by contributing £50 million over 10 years,” the museum stated.
“The partnership can even assist ship on plans to keep up public entry for generations to return. The museum may be very grateful for BP’s help at this early stage of the masterplan.”
“Architects cannot in good religion work with The British Museum”
Nevertheless, BP or not BP?, stated that engaged on the redevelopment would go in opposition to steering from local weather community Architects Declare on the right way to method tasks.
“Steering from @architectsdeclare_uk encourages companies to method tasks by evaluating their contributions to mitigating local weather breakdown,” it said.
“This redevelopment will do the alternative: permitting BP to proceed its extraction and hurt World South communities the world over who face the worst impacts of the local weather disaster.”
“Architects cannot in good religion work with The British Museum till this deal is dropped. Be part of us and inform the museum to #dropBP!” the organisation added.
Architects Declare additionally said that it believed it could be in keeping with its declaration for architects to show down the job.
“UK Architects Declare is dedicated to transferring the design of our constructed surroundings in direction of absolutely regenerative options to the planetary emergency,” the organisation informed Dezeen.
“As such, the AD Steering Group do imagine it could be in keeping with our Declaration’s level 5 for architects to show down this chance due to BP’s sponsorship: ‘Consider all new tasks in opposition to the aspiration to contribute positively to mitigating local weather breakdown, and encourage our shoppers to undertake this method’.”
“A variety of firms have publicly declared they won’t work on fossil gasoline infrastructure and a lot of the large cultural establishments have now damaged hyperlinks with fossil gasoline sponsorship,” it added.
“It’s significantly essential that when some organisations present such management, they’re supported by the broader trade.”
British Museum “squarely on the unsuitable aspect of historical past”
BP or not BP? informed Dezeen that it believes there are different sponsorship options for the British Museum and that letting BP use its well-known London constructing for occasions “continues a neocolonial legacy of extractivism”.
“Simply as there are options to fossil fuels, there are additionally options to taking soiled sponsorship cash from fossil gasoline producers like BP,” BP or not BP? member Francesca Willow stated.
“The British Museum’s determination to maintain backing one of many architects of the local weather disaster – for an additional 10 years – has put the museum squarely on the unsuitable aspect of historical past,” she continued.
“For years, BP has used the enduring museum constructing because the backdrop for lobbying politicians and burnishing its model, persevering with a neocolonial legacy of extractivism and oppression,” she added. “Architects ought to refuse to play any half in BP’s planet-wrecking agenda.”
Museum disenchanted by name for boycott
In response, the museum stated that the marketing campaign was “disappointing” because the redevelopment was aimed toward making a net-zero property.
“The British Museum is in pressing want of renovation and the masterplan shall be probably the most important cultural redevelopments ever undertaken and personal funding is important,” a spokesperson for the British Museum informed Dezeen.
“It is disappointing marketing campaign teams are calling for a boycott after we’ve stated we shall be design proposals with a specific deal with sustainable and environmental experience, working with us responsibly to create a net-zero property,” it added.
“We look ahead to seeing submissions that intention to revive the extremely important and celebrated listed buildings on the location.”
The architectural competitors would look to introduce “modern structure and modern gallery shows” to the museum’s “Western Vary”, which accommodates collections from Historic Egypt, Greece and Rome.
Architects Declare has beforehand condemned structure studios for refusing to cease designing airports.
The problem of sustainability in structure was additionally highlighted by the local weather motion group Architects Local weather Motion Community in 2022, when it claimed that the Royal British Institute for Architects’ Stirling Prize shortlist “promotes structure that pollutes the planet”.
The picture is by Shutterstock.
