Alcatraz Island
September 27, 2014 to April 26 2015
Photo from the For-Site Foundation Website
You are not able to view this piece from any place other than the guards catwalk above the room, while peering through panes of glass, this is why I have had to take the photo from the website. It was a very foggy day when I was there and pictures of this installation piece were almost impossible.
The 8,000-pound sculpture is made of solar panels used to heat food in Tibet. The sculpture resembles a giant bird’s wing. The peering through the glass is another metaphor for imprisonment, and the concept of using Tibetan solar panels is a nod to Ai Weiwei’s statement that the entire country of Tibet is “imprisoned” by the Chinese.
Notice the pots setting on the panels ready for the next meal to be cooked.
I encourage you to listen to the video produced for the exhibit to get a sense of how huge and difficult this piece was to construct.
