Oct 13, 2010: Ai Weiwei's Seeds

[xoxoxoBruce]

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.

[HungLikeJesus]

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

[Gravdigr]

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

[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.

[Wombat]

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

[Hillrick]

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.

Aaawww man, but I hate people.....now my day is shot.

[xoxoxoBruce]

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.

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.

That turbine hall full of seeds is how we look at China, a blur of sameness. When actually there's all those seeds... uh, people, that are each unique.

[Sheldonrs]

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!!!".

[xoxoxoBruce]

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

[BigV]

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.

[Cloud]

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

[Diaphone Jim]

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.

[Pete Zicato]

Originally Posted by Diaphone Jim

I wonder if they are signed.

This seed professionally painted and packaged by 汉语/漢語 华语/華語 中文 (Bob)

[Wombat]

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.

Yes it is good that all those people were employed; I still think they could have been employed to do something useful instead of wasting all that money and all their time on... aggregate.

[xoxoxoBruce]

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

In 2001, Unilever created the Unilever International Schools Art Project (UISAP) that encouraged children to create an artwork on a theme related to The Unilever Series. The project was very successful and over 135,000 took part in eight years. However, April 2009 saw the end of UISAP and the introduction of a new and exciting art education project called The Unilever Series: turbinegeneration. Produced by Tate and sponsored by Unilever, it is the first online educational partnership that links schools and major galleries on an international level.

Students will share thoughts and ideas inspired by one of the world's biggest contemporary art commissions – The Unilever Series at Tate Modern in London. Each year the new commission will influence the project's theme.

I suppose the could have spent all that money, plus sponsoring Ai Weiwei's installation, on something more useful like killing Somali pirates, or neutering North American White Tailed Deer, but they didn't.
It's the golden rule... whoever puts up the gold, makes the rules.