Fiona Banner and Greenpeace deploy 1.5-ton sculpture at Westminster in marine protection protest
On October 5, Fiona Banner, known as The Vanity Press, partnered with Greenpeace to install a 1.5-ton black-granite sculpture named Klang at the entrance of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in Westminster, London. This piece is part of a trio of Full Stop sculptures aimed at drawing attention to the UK government's shortcomings in safeguarding marine protected areas. These artworks emphasize Greenpeace's efforts to defend the Dogger Bank in the North Sea, where boulders have been placed to thwart harmful bottom trawling, a destructive fishing practice banned in protected regions. The other two sculptures, Peanuts and Orator, will be transported on the Greenpeace Esperanza and deployed at sea, forming part of a 50-square-mile boulder barrier. Banner and Greenpeace have pledged to remove the sculptures if the UK government commits to prohibiting industrial fishing in these zones, highlighting the critical need for marine conservation amidst environmental decline.
Key facts
- The sculpture Klang weighs 1.5 tons and is made of black granite.
- The event occurred on October 5 at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs building in Westminster, London.
- Fiona Banner, also known as The Vanity Press, created the sculpture.
- Greenpeace is leading the campaign to protect marine areas from industrial fishing.
- The Dogger Bank protected area in the North Sea is the focus of the protest.
- Bottom trawling involves dragging heavy nets across the sea floor and is illegal in protected areas.
- Two additional sculptures, Peanuts and Orator, will be launched at sea from the Greenpeace Esperanza.
- A 50-square-mile boulder barrier is being installed by Greenpeace in the North Sea.
Entities
Artists
- Fiona Banner
- The Vanity Press
Institutions
- Greenpeace
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Locations
- Westminster
- London
- United Kingdom
- North Sea
- Dogger Bank