Why is the V&A celebrating Extinction Rebellion zealots?
Museum devotes show to protests which brought cities to standstill
THEY brought some of our city centres to a standstill, glued themselves to buildings and prevented a man reaching hospital to say goodbye to his dying father.
But despite causing widespread outrage, protest group Extinction Rebellion is being celebrated by the Victoria & Albert Museum in two exhibitions.
Flags, artwork and banners used by the climate change protesters will feature in one show to showcase their ‘coherent and impactful visual identity’, while a second exhibition will examine how they ‘ engage’ with young families and children.
Extinction Rebellion brought chaos to some of the capital’s main roads over 11 days in April, resulting in more than 1,000 arrests. Protesters glued themselves to the London Stock Exchange, parked a boat in Oxford Circus, marched on Heathrow and staged a ‘ die-in’ at the Natural History Museum.
The demonstrations spread to other cities and last week a man in Bristol told how he was unable to reach the bedside of his dying father in time because he was stuck for three hours in a traffic jam caused by protesters gluing themselves to a bathtub on one of the city’s main roads.
The V&A has praised Extinction Rebellion for ‘ galvanising public concern for the planet’ and ‘creating spaces that are welcome for all’ – and compared its impact to that of the suffragettes.
In a ‘rapid response’ exhibition at its main site in South Kensington it is showing the first printed pamphlet issued by the activists outlining their ‘Declaration of Rebellion’ and posters bearing slogans such as ‘ Tell The Truth’ and ‘Rebel For Life’.
A child protester’s high-vis jacket is among the items on show at the second exhibition, which runs for six months from August at the V&A’s Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, east London.
The museum praised Extinction Rebellion for ‘balancing joy and menace with a bold, tongue-incheek approach’ with its graphics.
But critics said it was ‘shameful’ of the V&A to celebrate actions which brought misery to millions.
Conservative MP David Davies said: ‘It’s outrageous that a publicly-funded museum like the V&A are spending taxpayers’ money lavishing praise on a group of people who are willing to stop traffic on the streets in order to get their way. It’s shameful.’
Ann Widdecombe, Brexit Party MEP, said: ‘It strikes me as an extraordinary thing to put in a museum.’
Last week a heartbroken man told a live phone-in to BBC Radio Bristol how Extinction Rebellion protests meant he could not get to hospital until an hour after his father had died. The Mail reported how one protester, Zoe Jones, broke down in tears on camera after hearing the story but insisted: ‘I still believe we are doing the right thing.’
The items in the exhibitions were donated by artists and activists from Extinction Rebellion.
V& A senior curator Corinna Gardner said: ‘Design has been key to Extinction Rebellion’s demands for urgent action on climate change.
‘ The strong graphic impact of the Extinction Symbol alongside a clear set of design principles have ensured their acts of rebellion are immediately recognisable.
‘Their design approach stands in relation to earlier protest movements such as the suffragettes, who encouraged the wearing of purple, green and white to visually communicate their cause.’ A V&A insider said: ‘They have been clever buying agitprop artefacts for virtually nothing which in the future may well cost a lot of money. It is what future generations will be interested in seeing’.