Waves of controversy were sparked recently when the Just Stop Oil activists threw tomato soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the National Gallery in London. Although the painting was behind glass so not damaged, politicians were quick to condemn their “attention-seeking” vandalism while media commentators proclaimed that the act had “lost them” to the cause.
It is perhaps with some poetic timing that I’ve just started a project that is an oral history of the environmental movements in the UK. The aim is to contribute to a greater understanding and wider public awareness of the variety of modes of engagement with environmental issues.
