On Vivienne Westwood’s 80th birthday, CIRCA will present a short film titled “Do Not Buy A Bomb” created by Westwood will premiere online at www.circa.art and screened on the Piccadilly Lights at the same time. A special limited-edition print titled ‘Do Not Buy A Bomb’ created especially by Vivienne Westwood in support of the #CIRCAECONOMY is available to buy for £100 on the CIRCA website until May 8.

The film depicts the punk icon performing a rewritten rendition of “Without You” from My Fair Lady, offering a stark warning of societal indifference to the looming environmental catastrophes and a cry against the arm trade and its link to climate change. Westwood ponders an England without people and challenges audiences to “Tell the children the truth,” and she sings, “‘What a fool I was, what a dominated fool / To think that you were the Earth and the sky…’

Vivienne Westwood quoted, “I have a plan 2 save the World. Capitalism is a war economy + war is the biggest polluter, therefore Stop War + change economy 2 fair distribution of wealth at the same time: NO MANS LAND. Let’s be clear, U + I can’t stop war just like that.  But we can stop arms production + that would halt climate change cc + financial Crash.  Long term this will stop war.”

Josef O’Connor, Artistic Director, CIRCA, explains, “Vivienne Westwood has a long history of addressing issues including climate change, civil liberties and nuclear disarmament. Provoking others to think afresh and reflect or consider their own actions, we are honoured to provide a platform to this British icon on the Piccadilly Lights screen and celebrate her 80th Birthday in style.”

Created by O’Connor, CIRCA commissions a different artist each month to present new ideas that consider our world circa 2021. Each artist is invited to create a new work for Europe’s largest screen that offers an innovative way for people to engage with art, both outside and online, in a safe and socially distanced manner. Westwood’s work will pause Piccadilly’s advertisements at 20:21BST, a new time for 2021. This special commission follows acclaimed messages by Patti Smith, Tony Cokes, and James Barnor who is currently showing every evening throughout April.