If you walked over the Millennium Bridge today you might happen upon a small city of tents, cost cure this is in fact not a new city of borrowers or a miniature tourist town as a few people were in under the impression, price but a new campaign by Oxfam to get people involved with the fight against climate change.
Oxfam have teamed up with a German artist Herman Josef Hack who has meticulously produced hundreds of tents that aim to highlight some of the 26 million people forced from their homes around the world. Human impact and wars have misplaced millions and now the evil of climate change is creating droughts and flooding around the world that is forcing huge numbers of people into temporary accommodation.
The installation pushes the message home with the backdrop of St Paul’s and the Millennium Bridge creating a contrast with the tents that millions worldwide are forced to live in. It was all a bit lost on the rush hour commuters as they kept their heads down, sidestepping all the shelters that blocked their way. As the day progresses, however, people are showing a real interest, stopping to chat and having a look around. As it is on the path of the tourist walk and with the half term break it looks like it will attract plenty of people, which makes it a shame that it is only a temporary exhibition.
The event, however, is being replicated today in four other cities – Dublin, Berlin, Madrid and Brussels – hoping to get hundreds of people to sign up on their website and send messages to governments. The aim is to put pressure on the European heads of state that will meet tomorrow in Brussels to decide what they can take to the table at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in December.
Oxfam have another exhibition, Under Water Colours, being held at the Truman Brewery at the Dray Walk Gallery, which I popped into today. The free exhibition focuses on the human cost of climate change in Bangladesh and features nine watercolours by Jamie Hewlett, the artist who produces the artwork for the GORILLAZ.
He took a trip to the country with Oxfam and documented what the devastation facing the communities that he saw to produce some amazing watercolour images. It will be on until Saturday (31st) so make sure you get down. You can also buy some of the limited edition prints if you’re feeling a bit flush.
Oxfam are also urging people to attend ‘The Wave’, one of the UK’s biggest ever demonstrations in support of action on climate change, held by Stop Climate Chaos Coalition on 5th December. At this event thousands of people will flow through the streets of London to put pressure on the government to kick start a green economy and safeguard the world’s poorest communities around the world. It’s going to be an empowering day so make sure you put it in your diary.
Categories ,art, ,Bangladesh, ,campaign, ,Climate Change, ,Gorillaz, ,Herman Josef Hack, ,installation, ,Jamie Hewlett, ,london, ,Millennium Bridge, ,miniature, ,oxfam, ,oxfam campaign, ,shelter, ,St Pauls, ,tents, ,the Wave, ,Truman Brewery, ,water colours
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