When we first lent our BP ruff to the Design Museum for its ‘Hope to Nope’ exhibition, we had no idea of the extraordinary events that were to follow.
We got an inkling of what might happen at the exhibition launch back in April, when we challenged the museum’s Chair of Trustees, Peter Mandelson, about the lack of a firm ethical funding policy at the Design Museum. But we didn’t expect the museum to do something as shameless as hosting an arms company event while this exhibition of protest art – including our ruff – was running in the building.
When we realised we needed to remove our object from the exhibition, we didn’t imagine that 40 other artists and groups would also want to take that step – and thus create the #NopeToArms collective. We gave the museum a chance – if they were willing to commit to never again taking money from the arms, fossil fuel or tobacco industries then many of us would probably be willing to leave our work in the gallery. But the Design Museum didn’t just fail to make that commitment – they refused to accept that they’d done anything wrong, and tried to demean and discredit the artists instead. So last week, we went together to the Design Museum and reclaimed our work – check out this short film of what happened:
This unprecented action has made serious waves in the design and museum sectors. Campaign Against Arms Trade has compiled a list of media coverage (see below). We wait to see what the Design Museum comes up with in its ‘policy review’ – we’d love it if the museum defied our expectations and came up with a strong ethical funding policy that ruled our arms, fossil fuel and tobacco funding in the future (although we’re not holding our breath).
Meanwhile other museums and arts institutions, having seen these events unfold, will now be very aware of the reputational risks of doing deals with these destructive industries. We hope they’re putting in place ethical policies of their own.
Media coverage, as compiled by CAAT
Broadcast
- BBC London: Feature on removal of art
- BBC Radio 4: World Tonight
- London Live: Artists take work out of Design Museum
- London Live: Why Artists Want Their Work OUT of the Design Museum
- ITV London News: Feature on removal of art
- AL Jazeera: Feature on removal of art (not available online)
Print press
- Evening Standard: Artists remove work from Design Museum exhibition in protest at arms firm function
- The Guardian: Design Museum challenged over private ‘arms industry’ event
- Evening Standard: Artists demand work is removed from Design Museum after it hosted controversial arms event
- New York Times: A Museum Held a Show of Protest Art. Then the Artists Protested the Museum
- The Guardian: Design Museum returns work to artists after row over arms firm event
- Morning Star: Artists pull work after arms fair event
Art press
- Design Week: Design Museum pulls work from Hope to Nope after artists’ dismay over arms event
- Art Net: Artists Dramatically Remove Their Work From London’s Design Museum to Protest Its Decision to Host an Arms Dealer
- Museums Association Journal: Artists to pull work from Design Museum after arms dealer reception
- Frieze: Artists Protest Design Museum After It Hosted Private Event For Arms Dealer
- Hyperallergic Art: After London Design Museum Hosts Arms Industry Event, Artists Demand Their Work Be Removed
- Design Week: Design Museum “hypocritical” and “unethical” for hosting arms event, say outraged exhibitors
- The Art Newspaper: Artists demand Design Museum remove their work from political show after ‘arms trade’ event
- Arts Professional: Artists to withdraw work from Design Museum in protest at arms dealer links
- It’s Nice That: 30 artists have requested their work be removed from Design Museum exhibition in opposition to on-site arms trade event
- Museums and Heritage: Artists threaten to pull work from Design Museum following ‘arms trade’ event
- Creative Review: Artists remove work from Design Museum in protest against recent arms event
- Hyperallergic Art: Artists Protest London’s Design Museum As They Retrieve Works from Hope to Nope Exhibition
- Apollo: Artists remove works from Design Museum in protest over arms-trade event
- DesignBoom: Artists have personally removed their work from london’s design museum in protest of its hosting an arms dealer
- Artlyst: Artists Pull Work From Design Museum Exhibition Protesting Arms Dealer Event
- Art Newspaper: Peter Kennard among artists to remove their art from London’s Design Museum in protest over arms event
- Dezeen: Designers demand Design Museum remove works in outrage over arms industry event
- Arts Professional: Artists to withdraw work from Design Museum in protest at arms dealer links
- Hyperallergic: Artists Protest London’s Design Museum As They Retrieve Works from Hope to Nope Exhibition
- Frieze: Private Event For an Arms Dealer? A Show of Protest Art? The Design Museum Needs to Pick a Side
Online media
- Huffington Post: Why Artists Want Their Work Removed From Display In This Museum
- The Canary: 40 world-famous artists show ‘political art is becoming truly political’ in a protest against UK arms trade
- MSN: Artists demand work is removed from Design Museum after it hosted controversial arms event
BP or not BP? 