On August 13, 2025, seven Greenpeace activists climbed Shell’s Skiff gas platform in the North Sea, 45 nautical miles off the Norfolk coast in eastern England, to install a massive artwork by British-Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor titled “BUTCHERED.”
The installation consists of a 12-by-8 meter (approximately 40 by 26 feet) canvas attached to the side of the gas platform. Using a high-pressure hose positioned 16 meters above sea level, activists pumped 1,000 liters of blood-red liquid onto the fabric, creating a cascading crimson stain. The red solution was made from seawater, beetroot powder, organic coffee granules, and food-based pond dye—all non-toxic materials.
This marks the first time a fine art piece has been installed on an active offshore fossil fuel platform anywhere in the world. It was Greenpeace’s second attempt to execute the artwork after an initial effort failed in 2024.
Artist’s Statement
Kapoor described the work as “a visual scream that gives voice to the calamitous cost of the climate crisis, often on the most marginalized communities across the globe.” When asked if the project constituted a declaration of war, Kapoor responded “Absolutely.” He also stated: “BUTCHERED is also a tribute to the heroic work done in opposition to this destruction, and to the tireless activists who choose to disrupt, disagree and disobey.”
The protest occurred during the UK’s fourth heatwave of the summer season, with several regions in England facing drought conditions. Greenpeace said the artwork was unveiled as “devastating heatwaves, wildfires and floods” continue to affect communities worldwide.
A Shell UK spokesperson condemned the protest as “extremely dangerous, involved illegally trespassing, and put their own and others’ lives at risk.”
Shell and Greenpeace settled a lawsuit in December 2024 after environmental protesters had boarded a ship carrying an oil and gas platform near the Canary Islands. In that settlement, Greenpeace agreed that demonstrators would not go within 500 meters of three Shell North Sea sites for five years, and a fourth site for a decade.
The action is part of Greenpeace’s “Polluters Pay Pact” campaign, which calls on governments to introduce new taxes and fines on fossil fuel companies to help communities rebuild from climate disasters and invest in climate solutions. This is not Kapoor’s first criticism of the fossil fuel industry—in 2019 he joined 78 British artists calling for London’s National Portrait Gallery to cut ties with BP.
Contributor
