Yours Truly : @Large

Gull Staircase Alcatraz

Yours Truly was a really beautiful component of the Ai WeiWei’s work @Large on Alcatraz.  Located in the former dining hall of the penitentiary, visitors of the exhibition were invited to write postcards to the political prisoners whose individual stories were outlined in binders that were laid out on tables. The postcards were printed with the national bird or flower of that prisoner’s country and the cards were to be delivered as part of the exhibit. People wrote how they were touched by that prisoner’s plight, about the exhibit itself, gave encouragement to the prisoners or even drew pictures!  It was a great outlet for visitors to get involved and engaged and it was surely gratifying for those on the receiving end to know that so many thousands of people were thinking of them and learning about their cause.

Alcatraz was originally named La Isla de los Alcatraces (Pelican Island), and as there is this lovely theme of birds (which are associated with messengers and freedom) and flowers (which are associated with a flourishing fertility) throughout @Large (birds and flowers on the kites and in the poetry, blossoms in the the tubs, sinks and toilets) I thought it would be appropriate to show some of the birds and flowers of Alcatraz.

Gull Staircase Alcatraz

 

Yours Truly  Postcards

 

Ruin - Alcatraz

 

Alcatraz Ruins

 

Alcatraz- firecracker fuchsia

 

Alcatraz Garden

 

Alcatraz Seagulls

 

Gulls in the flowering ruins

 

Alcatraz - Flowers

 

Pelicans flying away from Alcatraz

Trace : @Large

Trace - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace was an installation of the Lego portraits of 170 political prisoners on the floor of the New Industries Building at Alcatraz. Artist Ai WeiWei designed the portraits and planned the layout using site schematics from his studio in Beijing then had the curatorial team from For-Site piece it all together in San Francisco. Lego is and interesting medium, a popular medium,  all these little pieces that come together to make something big and colorful and powerful can be easily broken down into it’s individual pieces, but without loosing the potential to come together again and again. Our voice as a people or a group is like that too. Some may be silenced , but others will surface and continue to speak.

Trace - At Large - Ai WeiWei

There were a number of binders available to learn more about the the individuals  depicted on the floor, including this entry for Lolo.

Trace Binder (detail)

Trace (detail) - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace (detail) - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace (detail) - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace (detail) - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace (detail) - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace (detail) - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace (detail) - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace (detail) - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace (detail) - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace (detail) - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace  - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace (detail) - At Large - Ai WeiWei

Trace - Ai WeiWei At Large -throught the glass- Udaltsov

Trace - Ai WeiWei At Large -throught the glass - Snowden

Trace - Ai WeiWei At Large - through the glass

So many faces… there are so many others. We are the Lego and we need to come together for change.