Oct 13, 2010: Ai Weiwei's Seeds

Ai Weiwei is China's most famous artist, and a big dog in the world art scene. That's a good thing, because he's also a social commentator and activist, which is not a wise career choice in China.

So he was invited to display at the Tate Modern's huge Turbine Hall, so he filled it with 100 million (100,000,000) sunflower seeds.
What? Is he an artist or farmer?
Artist, these seeds are made of porcelain, and hand painted.



Yes, it took 1600 people, 2.5 years, to produce 100 million, 150 tons, of seeds.
The expected 2 million people who will come to see this, are urged by the Tate not to steal any... but I would.
When Ai Weiwei was asked if he had painted any of the seeds personally, he said he painted 4 or 5, but they were no good.

Nobody knows what he'll do with them, after they are shipped back to China in May. But since he was beaten by the police so badly he has a brain tumor, for protesting the corruption in building the schools that collapsed in the big quake, I suggest he build a seed shooter.

It's equivalent to a giant bowl of fake fruit, I guess.

I ain't a-goin' to one of them seedy art galleries.

Look at that huge room covered in seeds. Think about one hundred million.

Then remember there are 13 times more people in China than there are seeds in that room.

And for perspective, there are three times as many people in the USA, and 68 times as many on the whole planet.

WOFTAM. Seriously, just think of the useful stuff that could have been done by 1600 people in 2.5 years. Grrr.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenGum Look at that huge room covered in seeds. Think about one hundred million. Then remember there are 13 times more people in China than there are seeds in that room. And for perspective, there are three times as many people in the USA, and 68 times as many on the whole planet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wombat WOFTAM. Seriously, just think of the useful stuff that could have been done by 1600 people in 2.5 years. Grrr.

Oh sure! When an "Artist" spills his seed on the floor, it's called innovative, when I do it, all I get is "Clean that up!!!".

Your probably coming close to 2 million visitors by now, aren't you?

Freakin' trick sunflower seeds made of PORCELAIN? I thought corn nuts were bad--they are--but I'd break a tooth for sure around these.

Pretty amazing vision, even though each individual piece "seems" unremarkable, inconsequential. Your life is made up the same way. A LOT of little similar acts, over and over again, producing a whole that is a very different thing from the individual pieces.

...and the occasional broken tooth.

porcelain seeds? a couple hundred rock pigeons will clean that right up

Not sure about the length of the Chinese workday or workweek, but I think this figures to around 5 minutes apiece.
I wonder if they are signed.

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Originally Posted by Diaphone Jim I wonder if they are signed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce The project employed 1600 people for 2.5 years, in China where the official unemployment rate is a little over 4%, but is rumored to be actually closer to 12%... of over a billion people. Plus the money, from Unilever, was contingent on producing an art installation for the Tate.

What would you be having these folks do? And who's going to pay for it?

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php...show_article=1


LONDON (AP) - An art exhibition involving 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds has been closed to visitors because it is generating dust that is a potential health hazard, the Tate Modern gallery said Friday.
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei filled a giant hall at the London gallery with a 1,000 sq. meter (10,000 sq. foot) carpet of the imitation seeds, made by thousands of workers in China over a two-year period. Visitors were invited to walk across the surface when the show opened earlier this week.

But the gallery said Friday that the "enthusiastic interaction of visitors" was causing a dust cloud that could be harmful if inhaled over a long period.

It said visitors would no longer be allowed to walk across the seeds, though they can be viewed from a walkway above the hall.

The commissions in the huge Turbine Hall have become one of the most popular attractions at Tate Modern, a former power station that opened as a gallery in 2000 and draws 4 million visitors a year.

It is not the first time an exhibition there has caused mishaps. In 2007 three visitors tumbled into Doris Salcedo's "Shibboleth," a jagged crack running the length of the room.

Last year a man was injured in Polish artist Miroslaw Balka's "How It Is," which invited visitors into a pitch-black room.


Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Bummer, walking across, and running them through your fingers, is more than half the experience. Dashes my hopes one of the Brits would steal me one, too.

It's hard to believe something made in China would be toxic.

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Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce It's hard to believe something made in China would be toxic.

Ai Weiwei under house arrest

Good'ol China. Never a dull moment with the commies.

There shall be no party, thrown by any party, without the approval of the party.

Somewhat off subject ...

A TV link to China just this morning included a Buddist Monk talking
about modern China having lost it's way from the old wisdoms.
He then did a large calligraphy of an old poem.
When asked what it said:

"Everything we see with our eyes has both good and evil, ugly and beauty"
"It is our heart that tells us the difference"

/Now back to OP...

Typical Buddhist Monk, keeps talking and says nothing, except you're on your own.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce Typical Buddhist Monk, keeps talking and says nothing, except you're on your own.