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“BP Logo redesign”. Retrieved from: http://designreviver.com/inspiration/20-great-and-20-not-so-great-logo-redesigns/ on November 28, 2017

“BP Display”. Photo by Tate Photography. Retrieved from: www.tate.org.uk/about-us/corporate-support/sponsorship/bp on December 1, 2017

Evans, M. “Big Oil and the Arts”. 2015. Pluto Press. U.S.

Kwest. “City showing the effects of climate change”. Retrieved from: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/city-showing-effect-climate-change-88550854?src=UVOzOZ3e9qXw46paCMUHJg-1-9 on December 1, 2017

Liberate Tate. “Birthmark – Exhibition Guide”. 2016. Retrieved from: www.liberatetate.org.uk/birthmark    on November 28, 2017

Liberate Tate. “Liberate Tate Logo”. 2010. Retrieved from: www.liberatetate.org.uk on November 28, 2017

Liberate Tate. “Hidden Figures”. 2014. Photo by Martin LeSanto-Smith. Retrieved from: https://hyperallergic.com/288254/liberate-tate-activists-look-back-on-six-years-of-fighting-bp-sponsorship/ on November 28, 2017

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Birthmark by Liberate Tate is meant to be a performance piece occupying a non-sanctioned gallery in the Tate Britain. It is attempting to bring awareness to the Artwashing of BP's environmental record, climate change and legacy of damage to spur on the public to fight against BP and force them to end their sponsorship deal with the Tate. However, the piece was more effective at gathering activists and reinforcing their commitment to the Liberate Tate publicly. Untimely, the performance has unintentionally displayed a tribal ritual of marking their members so they are forever recognized as being part of Liberate Tate.

Once Liberate Tate achieves the goal of breaking off BP sponsorship, do they continue fighting corporate influence on the arts? Or has the call to fight really just about self reinforcing the activist community?

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2016, @liberatetate Instagram

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The use of tattoos as the chief symbol is not very effective. The act of getting the tattoo is one of choice for the participates. The action of oil companies devastating the environment is not made clear. The numbers are small and unassuming and does not catch the public attention. One would have to notice the tattoo first before inquiring deeper into the meaning of the numbers and it's relationship to the oil company funding.

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"A birthmark that embody the risk to climate throughout our lifetimes." All participates received the same style tattoo, but were given a choice of on their body it was to be placed. As part of the performance, those being tattooed engaged in conversation with the tattoo givers about the impact of climate change had on them. They were asked about their journey to becoming activists, inspiring incidents and ways they were creating social change. The Birthmark is a symbol of commitment to facing the challenges of climate change into the future. (Liberate Tate, 2016, pp.6)

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"BP Display". Photo by Tate photography

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Kwest, "City showing the effects of Climate Change."

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"Damage is written on the planet." (Liberate Tate, 2016, pp.1) Climate change is real.  Global temperature averages continue to rise and deviate from historical norms creating unpredictable and extreme weather.

Heavy concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere entraps heat. Over 25 years, the concentration have risen from 354 ppm to 394 ppm, exceeding the safety limit of 350 ppm.

By tattooing the concentration of carbon dioxide of the birth year of the participates, the acceleration of the pollutants can be clearly represented.

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Liberate Tate. "Birthmark". 2016. Photo by Martin Le-Santo Smith

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Artwashing, as described by activist Mel Evans, "Helps cement the corporate ‘social licence to operate’: a fundamental element for many businesses which intends to protect them from less palatable aspects of their business by persuading the public to trust them." (Liberate Tate, 2015, pp. 70-84)

Liberate Tate choose to occupy a section of the museum that is funded by BP. The corporate logo associates the gallery with the company. The tattoo parlour attempts to take back the space using the more imitate  art form.

As Liberate Tate explain themselves, "Where the artwork reflects and shapes our culture and lives, BP's logo expresses and reasserts it's power over our economies and infrastructure." (Liberate Tate, 2016, pp. 4-5)

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Liberate Tate. "Hidden Figures". 2014. Photo by Martin Le-Santo Smith

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"Climate Change is permanent; so are tattoos." (Liberate Tate, 2016, pp. 2)

35 Liberate Tate activist occupied the 1840's Gallery of Tate Britain, two days before the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference. They proceeded to set up stations to tattoo protest members with black numbers corresponding to the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere  on the year of their birth.

Birthmark tries to  bring awareness to the environment damage oil companies like BP do and how they attempt to earn social capital by funding the arts. Accepting the funding makes the Tate complicit in climate change. The tattoos are a stain on our body, just as the BP branding is a mark on the museum. It will damage future generations. The arts should not be used as a mask to improve the oil companies reputation.

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Liberate Tate's activism take the form of unsanctioned performances within the various galleries and museums' of the Tate Group: Tate Britian, Tate Modern in London, Tate Liverpool and Tate St.Ives

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The network of artists and activists were brought together for a workshop organized by Tate on art and activism in January 2010.  When the Tate curators attempted to censor protest actions against Tate sponsors, the workshop attendees decided to form Liberate Tate in protest. (www.liberatetate.org.uk)

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Liberate Tate is an art collective dedicated to using "creative disobedience" to oppose the oil industry funding of the British Tate Museum Group. They are part of the Art Not Oil Coalition.