Pop-up Art Hits Stanford's Front Gate

Source: Kevin Hsu

 Students view protest art in front of Memorial Court. The work features voices of communities impacted by the petroleum industry around the world.

Today, Fossil Free Stanford deployed a brand-new pop-up art installation to shine a spotlight on the plight of communities around the globe that have been directly affected by the negligence of the fossil fuel industry. The piece is a tri-fold plywood construction sitting on a black plastic base simulating an oil spill and features quotes from the Chevron oil spill in Ecuador, the threat of sea level rise in Tuvalu and the drought in California, among others.

Two main criteria that ethical institutions typically ask when deciding to responsibly invest or divest are: (1) whether the product creates substantial societal harm, and (2) whether there are alternatives to the product or service readily available. This project answers the first criterion with a resounding YES, placing the voices from the frontlines in a location where the Stanford administration and the university community can no longer turn a blind eye.
 
The piece was built in just 24 hours and remained prominently displayed at the gates of the University for the daylight hours before students were forced to remove it. Numerous tourists, visitors, and curious passers-by stopped to view and photograph the art piece. It currently remains at the encampment for the duration of the sit-in.

— Gaby Leslie

— Photo gallery by Kevin Hsu