Ever since I watched 'Imagine' featuring the outspoken Chinese artist Ai Weiwei I've been following him and his art closely and I am appalled at the treatment he and other outspoken critics of the Chinese government have received at the hands of the Chinese authorities. Weiwei has been on the authority's radar for a while and there's been a fair few attempts to silence him; from the closing of his blog to the destruction of his studio to physical harm leaving a mighty scar on the side of his head. Finally the Chinese authorities succeeded this April arresting him and placing him under "some form of house arrest, under supervision" according to his wife who only recently was allowed to visit her husband. The arrest is allegedly because of "economic crimes" however many suspect this is fabricated by the authorities just to remove Weiwei and his influence from society. Although the US and Europe have condemned his imprisonment, in my opinion there's not been enough done about this case and many others like it in China. We as a nation proudly parade our ideas of democracy around the world (sometimes even impose it on other countries) yet it seems the country has to be somewhat weak in order for us to be brave enough to properly implement influence. As we all know China is rapidly becoming a great economic power but their human rights record is disgraceful however we don't tend to criticise them very often or very loudly because we need them to 'like us.' This sits very uncomfortably with me; when we compensate our morals for profit.
Over the past month there's thankfully been a lot about Ai Weiwei in the British media. I've read articles in the Guardian (which also features on their website, check it out!), Dazed and Confused (GREAT issue this month, articles on Burma and the Arab Spring) and the Culture magazine in the Sunday Times which featured an interview with Ai Weiwei that took place in 2006. Talking about his blog (before it was shut down) he said...
Ai Weiwei : You can put a hundred photos in one blog entry. People often tell me "you have so many photographs from one day?!" Photographs can be about anything. I think that's really information, a free exchange, a careless, responsibility-free solution that reflects my condition very well.
Culture magazine (Hans Ulrich Obrist) : So you take photographs every day, wherever you are?
Ai Weiwei : Yes whatever the situation. I guess I was overwhelmed because when we grew up, we had no chance for any form of freedom of expression. You could even report your father or your mother to the authorities if they said something wrong...
I find the last sentence rather scary in the fact that it bears great resemblance to the society featured in George Orwell's 1984. Anyway I thought as a sort of homage to Ai Weiwei I would take a photograph everyday for a week. It's not quite as many as Ai Weiwei used to take but it's an achievable aim for me. You never know I may get snap happy and upload hundreds just like him. I'll upload them on Sunday eve. I warn you, they may be rather dull; the week ahead doesn't present itself with too much excitement and adventure. Maybe the very few of you reading this blog could do the same too?
(Ai Weiwei's porcelin surveillance camera, symbolising the type of society that China is. These sort of cameras aren't just unique to China though...)
I encourage you to watch 'Imagine' on youtube which features everything you need to know about him, here are the links...
Part 1 - http://youtu.be/tGpvby18tr8
Part 2 - http://youtu.be/L5tV5L8kCy4
Part 3 - http://youtu.be/JQgeqDj7oWo
Part 4 - http://youtu.be/vmFOUhHuWVA
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