Wednesday, June 09, 2010

In Chicago ~ Oil Over the Bridge

Oil Over the Bridge
BP Black Friday
Friday 06/11/10 @ 12:11 pm
Millennium Park Chicago



Bring a black umbrella. If you don’t have a black umbrella, wear all black.

12:11 pm: Casually converge on the BP Pedestrian Bridge

12:20 pm: When the whistle blows, we will generate a visual representation of the oil slick seen from above by filling the entire walkway of the BP bridge. Starting from the middle of the bridge over Columbus Drive, open your umbrella and squat or sit down, covering as much space with your umbrella or body as possible. Sit close enough to the people around you to create a canopy of umbrellas and bodies.

Please do not
shout,
carry signs,
confront patrons of Millennium Park,
damage property,
or otherwise break any laws.

This flash mob is a silent protest intended to bring together a community of concerned citizens in creating a living illustration of the damage that threatens the collective health of our planet.

The intent is not to block the bridge, nor to damage it, but to join together in a lively way to make a statement: swift action must be taken before more of our world is destroyed by oil.

12:35 pm: When the whistle blows a second time, quickly and calmly collect yourself and disperse. Please do not linger any longer than necessary.

Bring your friends and family! The more the merrier and when the bridge fills with umbrellas, feel free to do what the oil would do and spill out into the park.

Don’t forget to greet your neighbors: introduce yourself, make new friends. A key objective for this action is to have fun!

If anyone asks what is going on or what you are doing, we suggest simply stating, “The oil flow must be stopped.”

3 comments:

YMM Positive Outcomes said...

Brilliant conception - public art with a message

Jane Fulton Alt said...

I am still trying to find out who is the brains behind this protest. Found out about it thru Face Book. The Bridge is actually named BP Pedestrian Bridge for energy firm BP, which donated $5 million toward its construction!

marygraykaye said...

Too bad Chicago decided to close the bridge -- an elegantly conceived photo op dashed. But then, don't corporations have the last word?