October 15, 2014

ALCATRAZ & AI WEIWEI ART EXHIBIT

I arrived at San Francisco Pier 33 at 7:45 a.m. today for the Early Bird Tour to Alcatraz.

 View of Alcatraz from the ferry.

 Indians are welcome at the U.S. Penitentiary.

Bill Baker was an inmate at Alcatraz. He has written a book about his life in the prison & he offered to sign it for anyone purchasing the book.

AI WEIWEI EXHIBIT

Ai Weiwei was born in Beijing in 1957 and is known for his work "that defies distinction between art and activism". He is a vocal critic of the Chinese government and was secretly detained for 81 days in 2011 and is still not permitted to travel outside China. As a result, the artist was unable to visit Alcatraz during the planning of this exhibition; he developed the artworks from his studio in Beijing.

 Dragon Head

The dragon fills this entire large room.

"My words are well intended and innocent"
Le Quoc Quan

 "I want to cast my vote"
Irom Sharmila Chanu

"Everyone of us is a potential convict"
Ai Weiwei

 "Privacy is a function of liberty"
Edward Snowden

"I prefer to go to jail"
William Tonet

Portraits of over 170 people from around the world who have been imprisoned or exiled due to their beliefs or affiliations, made with Legos.

Lego images

 More Lego images

Nelson Mandela


"Refraction"
Tibetan reflective solar panels, steel
(Photo by Architectural Record @ArchRecord)

Ai Weiwei quote

Morgue 1913-1963

 Laundry

 Showers

 Prison with exercise yard

 Prison cells

 Prison cell

 Rows of prison cells

 Prison Hospital

 Prison Hospital

 Prison Hospital Room

 Prison Hospital Room
with ceramic tiles (art by Ai Weiwei)

 Hospital Room
with ceramic tiles (art by Ai Weiwei)

 Alcatraz Old Lighthouse

I left Alcatraz Island about 12:30 p.m. by ferry & arrived in
San Francisco about 1:00 p.m.

Great Exhibit!