@Large on Alcatraz - An Ai Wei Wei Exhibition
 |
| Alcatraz Island |
@Large was one of the best art exhibits I have ever visited. That isn't saying much, since I haven't visited many art exhibits. Still, I enjoyed trying to understand the hidden structure and meaning of the exhibit and there was no lack of depth to each of Ai Wei Wei's pieces! I wish I had time for a second visit to see what I could learn upon a second inspection.
The exhibition consisted of 6 pieces - In the Wind, Trace, Refraction, Stay Tuned, Illumination, Blossom, and Yours Truly.
 |
| In the Wind - For Site Foundation |
In the Wind is the first piece of the exhibition and is a beautifully colored paper dragon. The dragon is a celebratory symbol in China often associated with the emperor. As you can see from the picture above, it is a very colorful, majestic piece.
 |
| Scales of In the Wind |
The dragon is made up of individual scales, or perhaps circular cross sections is a more accurate description. Many of them just have beautiful patterns on them, but intersperse amongst the plain-patterened scales are those with a word or a quote. The scale above has a quote from Wei Jingsheng, a democracy activist in China. Other scales simply have words like "breaking", "damaging", and "disobey" artistically written across them.
The first two words I read on the scales were "breaking" and "damaging", which lead me to view the piece as something that sympathizes with the plight of dissidents. I interpreted "breaking" and "damaging" as meaning the state was "breaking" or "damaging" the rights of the people. However, as I explored the serpentine dragon more fully, I encountered words like "disobey" and my interpretation changed. The state was not "breaking" the people, it was the other way around! The dissidents were breaking, damaging, disobeying that state.
The dragon is a celebratory symbol in China and In the Wind quickly showed me that @Large not only sympathized with the constrained state of dissidents, but also celebrated them!
As I wandered a reflected upon this idea, I came upon an open door separating In the Wind with Trace. I examined the door with all of its broken glass, rusted metal, and decay.
Alcatraz was first a military fort, then an army prison, and then the highest security penitentiary in the US. Many people were held here against their will. Today, however, the prison doors are rusted. The glass is broken. Free people wander the halls and wonder about what life was like under such oppressive conditions.
Alcatraz is a metaphor for authoritarian governments. Two of Ai Wei Wei's pieces, In the Wind and Refraction, have the symbolism of something majestic being trapped in the space. However, we, the viewer, can see what has become of Alcatraz. Even though the paper dragon may seem weak against the imposing, concrete structure of Alcatraz, the dragon will eventually be released as the shackles around it crumble and decay. It may take time and hardship, but eventually all prisons turn to dust.
Trace to me seemed the most profound piece. On the surface the piece seems straightforward, and perhaps in many ways it us. It is such a large piece that it was hard for me to really analyze the small details. It is, however, the easiest piece to understand. iI shows hundreds of dissidents, past and present, who suffered oppression around the world.
Alcatraz was first a military fort, then an army prison, and then the highest security penitentiary in the US. Many people were held here against their will. Today, however, the prison doors are rusted. The glass is broken. Free people wander the halls and wonder about what life was like under such oppressive conditions.
 |
| Refraction - For Site Foundation |
Trace to me seemed the most profound piece. On the surface the piece seems straightforward, and perhaps in many ways it us. It is such a large piece that it was hard for me to really analyze the small details. It is, however, the easiest piece to understand. iI shows hundreds of dissidents, past and present, who suffered oppression around the world.
 |
| Trace |
What made the piece so profound to me was its ability to educate people on the plight of dissidents and how oppression is a global issue. Many millions of tourist visit Alcatraz every year and few of them go solely to visit the Ai Wei Wei exhibition. This means that many visitors stumble upon the art by accident.
 |
| Edward Snowden, front and center in Trace. |
To the left of Snowden was a picture of MLK. To his right was Nelson Mandela. After chatting with the supervisor of the piece, I learned that many people were upset by placing Snowden among such great figures. To me, this conflict was the point.
MLK, Nelson Mandela, and most other activist that we now see as heroes were not universally accepted as such when they were living. They challenged the status quo. They didn't follow the rules. They were imprisoned, exiled, or assassinated.
Only in hindsight do we accept them as heroes. The image of Snowden represents the conflicting views society has of dissidents in the present. It provides an example of the conflicted views society had on say MLK in the midst of civil rights movement. Only in hindsight will we be able to accept or reject Snowden as a hero. Today, he provides an example to Americans of what it means to be a dissident in the present.
 |
| Stay Tuned -For Site Foundation |
I just briefly wanted to discuss one aspect of Stay Tuned. Here is a link to the website which has the entire collection of songs, speeches, and poems performed by activist across time and the globe. It is an amazing piece and I am so pleased they provided all of the songs on the website.
The one aspect I wanted to discuss was the global nature of this exhibition. It draws attention to activists around the world. There are many different languages sang or spoken and the songs and speeches span from the early 20th century to very current Pussy Riot's Virgin Mary, Put Putin Away. My favorite so far is the first song on the website - Fela Kuti's Sorry Tears and Blood. Check it out!
 |
| Up close inside the prison cell. |
One of the most striking parts of Stay Tuned to me was the realization that this art work is a byproduct of the digital age. It would have been impossible to bring such a broad spectrum of music and spoken word from across the world without digital files. Better communications are bringing societies closer together and raising awareness of the injustice in the world.
 |
| Porcelain flowers will the sink, toilet, and tub of the psychiatric ward in Blossom - For Site Foundation |
Blossom was the most challenge piece in the whole installation, which in certain ways made it my favorite : ) All the other pieces in the exhibition are very straightforward in their central message and how they interrelate to the other pieces. However, Blossom is very different! How does a porcelain collage of flowers inside tubs, sinks, and toilets relate to a celebration of dissidents?
The exhibition offers one interpretation of Blossom as a reference to the Hundred Flowers Movement, which was a time in the 1950's when the Chinese Communist Party encouraged its people to speak openly about the government. As you can imagine, the party didn't like it very much when the speaking turned critical. A crack-down quickly followed.
After the history refresher, the Hundred Flowers interpretation does seem to fit. However, since many of the other pieces were multicultural, it seems strange to me that this would be so specific to China. However, the cells with water receptacles housing the porcelain flowers are scattered throughout the psychiatric ward, which may represent the flowering of critical voices in different parts of the world.
The most interesting interpretation I came up with was the idea of harmony between the different kinds of flowers. The collage is made up of big and small flowers all interwoven together. While some flowers may be larger than others, all are necessary to produce a beautiful collage. This may be a metaphor for respecting the voices of all people in a society to create harmony.
Since the flowers blossom from the bottom of drains, which are typically seen as dirty places, Blossom may also illustrate the hope and potential for something beautiful to grow from someplace dirty.
As the last artwork, Blossom gives us hope that the future may be a more beautiful place than the present.
Yours Truly is the last part of the exhibition, but is less of an artwork and more of a connection with the dissidents showcased in Trace. Those dissidents willing to share their address has allowed @Large to send them postcards. All visitors are encouraged to write a personal postcard to the political activists.
Yours Truly brings the interaction full circle by connecting visitors with dissidents. For the visitor, it further enforces that the flight of these activists are real and happening right now. The For Site Foundation will handle all of the mailing procedures to send the postcards, though we can never be sure if the cards will be snatched up by the oppressive governments.
 |
| Other cell in Blossom |
After the history refresher, the Hundred Flowers interpretation does seem to fit. However, since many of the other pieces were multicultural, it seems strange to me that this would be so specific to China. However, the cells with water receptacles housing the porcelain flowers are scattered throughout the psychiatric ward, which may represent the flowering of critical voices in different parts of the world.
The most interesting interpretation I came up with was the idea of harmony between the different kinds of flowers. The collage is made up of big and small flowers all interwoven together. While some flowers may be larger than others, all are necessary to produce a beautiful collage. This may be a metaphor for respecting the voices of all people in a society to create harmony.
Since the flowers blossom from the bottom of drains, which are typically seen as dirty places, Blossom may also illustrate the hope and potential for something beautiful to grow from someplace dirty.
As the last artwork, Blossom gives us hope that the future may be a more beautiful place than the present.
 |
| Desk and rack of postcards in Yours Truly - For Site Foundation |
Yours Truly brings the interaction full circle by connecting visitors with dissidents. For the visitor, it further enforces that the flight of these activists are real and happening right now. The For Site Foundation will handle all of the mailing procedures to send the postcards, though we can never be sure if the cards will be snatched up by the oppressive governments.
Anyone interested in seeing a professional review of the exhibition should check out Barry Willis' great review of @Large.
Thanks for reading! : )
