It is a world in a hundred million objects. Commissioned by Ai Weiwei, “Sunflower Seeds”, is a 1,000 square meter room laid out with 100 million porcelain seeds, with approximately a depth of 10 centimeters, at the east end of the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern in London.
Each seeds appears to be the same, but each seed is actually unique. After a 30 step procedure, each seed was moulded, fired at 1,300 degrees, hand painted, and fired again in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen, (a town whose only activity has been making porcelain ware for over 1,000 years), over a two year period by more than 1,600 artisans. It took two and a half years to manufacture this huge pile of ceramic husks out of the fine, white, soft clay from local mountains. …show more content…
It is 35,000 small clay figures, each between 8 and 26cm high, installed on the floor of a room facing the viewer. The figures can only be seen from one angle, and depending on the layout of the gallery, some can’t be viewed at all. The abundance of the slightly human shaped figures have no facial features other than eyes, which I think gives them a unusual but interesting aspect. You could stand for hours trying to point out or pick out the various emotions that the figures exhibit, although no emotions were probably ever purposely intended by the markers. Antony Gormley got ordinary people in Merseyside, England to create the unique crowd of figures from 30 tonnes of clay. Just as each sunflower seed in Ai Weiwei’s work is individually hand made, simple, and unique, the small clay figures were all hand made, simple, and unique as well.
Ai Weiwei’s, Sunflower Seeds, looks the way it does because every seed is covered by a hundred million ones with each with a fine distinction, similar yet each unique. Through sunflower seeds, Ai Weiwei triggers a domino effect, enlarging the lengthy, complicated, and exquisite process by 100 million times. Devoting unimaginable patience, time and energy, he brings into focus the significance of individuals, and the imposing strength when they gather
Each seeds appears to be the same, but each seed is actually unique. After a 30 step procedure, each seed was moulded, fired at 1,300 degrees, hand painted, and fired again in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen, (a town whose only activity has been making porcelain ware for over 1,000 years), over a two year period by more than 1,600 artisans. It took two and a half years to manufacture this huge pile of ceramic husks out of the fine, white, soft clay from local mountains. …show more content…
It is 35,000 small clay figures, each between 8 and 26cm high, installed on the floor of a room facing the viewer. The figures can only be seen from one angle, and depending on the layout of the gallery, some can’t be viewed at all. The abundance of the slightly human shaped figures have no facial features other than eyes, which I think gives them a unusual but interesting aspect. You could stand for hours trying to point out or pick out the various emotions that the figures exhibit, although no emotions were probably ever purposely intended by the markers. Antony Gormley got ordinary people in Merseyside, England to create the unique crowd of figures from 30 tonnes of clay. Just as each sunflower seed in Ai Weiwei’s work is individually hand made, simple, and unique, the small clay figures were all hand made, simple, and unique as well.
Ai Weiwei’s, Sunflower Seeds, looks the way it does because every seed is covered by a hundred million ones with each with a fine distinction, similar yet each unique. Through sunflower seeds, Ai Weiwei triggers a domino effect, enlarging the lengthy, complicated, and exquisite process by 100 million times. Devoting unimaginable patience, time and energy, he brings into focus the significance of individuals, and the imposing strength when they gather