90 second BEAT
Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz: the cloverleaf of open space and free expression
Dec 2014 Beat
Thanks to the National Park Service, Alcatraz offers us a unique place to explore, stroll, and escape to. Between September 27, 2014 and April 26, 2015, we get the bonus of an extraordinary art exhibit for the standard admission of a r/t boat ride. “@Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz,” a site-specific art installation on the famed prison-turned-park reminds us not only the value of parks and art, but the importance of freedom to create and enjoy both.
In the first of four exhibit buildings, the New Industries Building, where inmates once laundered military uniforms, a colorful giant dragon kite hangs low from the ceiling of the entry, snaking cheerfully across the room. But kites, like art, are meant to be free, lifted by winds, not locked in a concrete structure.
In the next room, “Traces” is comprised of a floor covered with 176 Lego portraits of famous international political prisoners, such as Nelson Mandela, Lolo, and Edward Snowden. The playful toy belies the fate of these individuals. The prison-bar-like shadows cast upon the display through sunlit windows imbues the room with a somber tone.
Near the end of the exhibit is “Stay Tuned,” a sound installation in 12 cells in the A Block building. Visitors sit on stools in tiny cells listening to a political speech or the music of a famous political prisoner. Martin Luther King, Fela Kuti, Pussy Riot, et al. The space seems to constrict as you hear the sounds that led these prisoners to be locked away.
Once outside, you feel a new sense of freedom, appreciative of the natural surroundings of a park’s open spaces. This exhibit is the highest expression and synthesis of making art and social spaces easily accessible, simple, and inclusive on multiple levels. It might have given the subjects in the exhibit reason to smile.
This exhibit was organized by FOR-SITE in conjunction with the National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
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