Sunflower Seeds 2010 by the Chinese Artist AI Weiwei - Essay Example

? BUSINESS AND SOCIETY: TAKE HOME EXAM by Presented to Business and Society and January 17, QUESTION ONE For this question, I chose the exhibit Sunflower Seeds 2010 by the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. This is because of the fact that I was so intrigued by the artwork itself: the seemingly thousands and thousands of small sunflower seeds which looked so small, but in fact entirely made of ceramics. What intrigued me most about this piece of art was that it is reported to be hand-made by hundreds of skilled hands, which is odd given that Chinese products, as broadcasted by the mainstream media, is thought to be industrial-made. In addition, thinking about the reason why one such artist would use such laborious technique just to make a work of art makes it much more intriguing for me. There are so many questions that filled my mind just by looking at the website of this artwork, and it made me excited about seeing the work of art for myself. According to the website, going to the Tate Modern Museum, where the artwork was actually located, can be by train, by bike, by bus, by cab, or even by coach. Located at Tate Modern Bankside, London SE1 9TG, the place is quite new for me. What made me interested about this area is that it is located in the middle of the city, where the impression of going to an urban concrete jungle is more dominant, rather than going to the museum. For this journey, I actually chose to go by the bus. This is because of the fact that by using the bus, you can see the sights around the city as you go along the way. In addition, you can also notice the types of the passengers using it (with the bus being a public transport), and notice where they are going. In this case, of course, I have seen that different people ride and take off at random points, most of them going to work or school. This scene made me remember the sunflower seeds, even though I have only seen it through the website, because I thought that we people are like those sunflower seeds in that museum: we may be unique in our own ways, but we are all located in a single space, and that we all go through our own business. In going to the museum, I actually used Route 344, which actually stops on Southwark Bridge Road. I used this Route because I thought that this was actually the shortest possible route; with the taking off point just a few minutes’ walk from the Bankside, where Tate Modern is located. It is a good thing for me to see that Tate Modern is actually located along a river, which gives me a sense of break from the monotonous urban concrete jungle which is an everyday experience in the London metropolis. This also served to remind me that London is not all about business and industries, but there are also valuable places where one can see beautiful works of art. One of the major influences of my journey to my experience on the exhibit was a reflection upon China products, in relation to individuality (which was also provided when I visited the website). Recently, there has actually been a scandal wherein Chinese products are somewhat defective and below quality standards, yet they are actually threatening the world’s economy due to the flooding of their cheap products unto the western market. In this scandal, it can actually be remembered that the featured Chinese products where actually harmful to use, because of the dangerous chemical substances that where present within these products. As emphasized by mainstream corporate media, and backed by the west’s powerful multinational corporations, they accused that all of China’s products that were being exported to the world market where of substandard quality, and that aside from the fact that it poses serious health risks to consumers worldwide, it also poses a major threat to the world economy, given that this is actually a form of unfair competition on the supposed to be fair free market, along the line of trade liberalization. However, this work of art by Ai Weiwei just stood in contrast to such impression about Chinese products, given the intensive and meticulous process involved in making life-sized sunflower seeds out of ceramics by using traditional methods, and not through industrial machines. I thought that this work of art may actually provide an alternative view on how Chinese products must actually be seen, given that ceramics, popularly known as “china,” is actually one of the most famed exports that came to symbolize China’s art and culture, and its expression through its products. In addition, I also thought about the concept of individuality, especially by looking to the anonymous people that I chanced to observe while I was on the bus, on the way to Tate Modern. Given that I had prior knowledge on the work of art, that it was actually individually hand-made (as indicated on its website), I actually thought that these sunflower seeds actually represented me in relation to other people, each claiming to be unique, but can actually be seen as the same from afar. Just like how those sunflower seeds were made by individual hands of artists, different people may have unique characteristics to claim as a defining moment for their individuality. However, looking from afar, we can actually be seen as one entity, and it is very different to look at its individual characteristics. This actually invoked a serious question upon me: is it more worth to be seen as an individual, or as a member of a larger collective entity? Before seeing it personally, I already had prior knowledge on how this work of art came to be so thought-provoking, given the meticulous process involved when it was made back in China. The website actually stated that “…Sunflower Seeds, is a beautiful, poignant and thought-provoking sculpture…The precious nature of the material, the effort of production and the narrative and personal content create a powerful commentary on the human condition…Each piece is a part of the whole, a commentary on the relationship between the individual and the masses. The work continues to pose challenging questions: What does it mean to be an individual in today's society? Are we insignificant or powerless unless we act together? What do our increasing desires, materialism and number mean for society, the environment and the future?” (Bingham 2010) In addition, I have also seen the detail in the video provided by the website. It actually showed the initial reaction of the visitors, especially when they were still allowed to look and touch those real-like sunflower seeds. In this case, the artists actually commented that at first, they cannot believe that those sees were actually unreal, because of the beauty of each seed. In addition, it also showed the process on how it was done, with the artist remarking that it actually takes 30 different steps to produce ceramics, from mining underground to the finished material ready to be sculpted. This was the reason why the theme of individuality versus collectivity, as well as a re-examination of Chinese made products, came to be a constant idea in my mind by the time that I came to view it myself. Relating our subject Business and Society to the themes related with Sunflower Seeds 2010, I came to think about why is individuality such a major issue in the world today. Is individuality actually connected with private ownership, for the purpose of the consumer society, in the interest of monopolies of big corporations that actually dominate our everyday lives by creating everyday consumer items that reflect an actually illusionary view of “individuality?” Were the recent attacks on the influx of Chinese exports to the west a reaction by Western, first-world monopolies to discredit a rising economic power, and assert their mastery over the capitalist world order? Do small-scale industries, as well as valuable works of art, useless in today’s contemporary word, or maybe a form of cultural protest over the imperialism of the western monopoly capitalists? When I actually had the chance to arrive at Tate Modern, and had the chance to look at the Sunflower Seeds 2010 myself, I realized that seeing in on the internet and seeing it in person is an entirely different experience. Although, the sad part of my experience is that I was not allowed to walk over the ceramic-made sunflower seeds, or even merely touch them, contrary to the video where the artist narrated that earlier visitors where able to touch them. However, I can conclude that merely by seeing it, one can already witness, and even feel, how delicate and meticulous was those little sunflower seeds made, giving an impression that they were so real. Even by merely looking at it from close range on Level 1 of the museum, one can already see the little details that were put into every sunflower seed, as well as the process involved in it. Imagine, millions of ceramic sunflower seeds were made by hand, and was sculpted from ceramics! Of course such kind of experience would surely make one think deep thoughts regarding Chinese products, given my background as a student of Business and Society. This piece of art truly changed my former impression on how Chinese products are made, and the degree on how western corporate media is actually tainting Chinese products in order to protect their own economic and business interests. The impression that China means substandard, harmful, delicate, and mass-produced suddenly changed, with me confronted with a work of art that represented China as meticulous, traditionally produced, and outstandingly beautiful. This experience also influenced me in how I actually think of the geopolitics involved in business and trade around the world, in that the interests of big business is seriously discrediting any threat to them, even when it involves painting a very negative image of China. I think that there are a wide variety of meanings that are present in this particular exhibit. One is a reflection upon the contrast between the industrial and the traditional, between consumer goods and works of art. As I have witnessed, millions of ceramic-made sunflower seeds is spread unto the industrial space of Tate Modern. Although it is undeniable that those ceramics are fake sunflower seeds, it is clearly shown how it is produced, through traditional means which was guided on by Chinese culture and tradition. I think that this is totally in contrast to the goods made by the thousands of industrial complexes around the world, those mass-produced consumer goods which actually create an artificial demand for consumers to purchase it. I thought that there was a major contradiction between the way goods are produced, traditionally vs. industrially. While those ceramic sunflower seeds are made through skill by hands, expressing the artistic ability of man, the goods made by industries represented machines, which do not necessarily reflect man’s artistic ingenuities. In addition, personally, those ceramic sunflower seeds actually represent the value created by man on his works, the passion and determination involved in creating such products, as well as the possible message involved in those products. Meanwhile, the mass-produced products created by industrial machines for me represent profit, in which big business continually find ways on how to produce goods at the lowest possible costs, even sometimes involving the weakest and cheapest materials, wherein there is almost no value involved in such products but only for the profit of those who made it. Of course, another meaning that provoked my senses when I was looking into the Sunflower Seeds 2010 was an artist’s form of protest against the negative image of China as portrayed by geopolitics of big business. This view was mainly due to my background as a Business and Society student looking at that particular work of art. I actually think that the artist want to portray China’s deep rooted culture and traditions, especially on its expression on China’s most fabled product: ceramics. For me, ceramics is such a powerful symbol for China, for the country has produced ceramic wares reflective of its art and culture through its millennia of existence, which has also spread around the ancient countries that it had major influence. Ceramics represents a major protest over the dark image portrayed by big business over “made in China” tagged products: cheap, mass produced, and unbeneficial to society. The way Sunflower Seeds 2010 was produced, the material that it was made of, the symbolism that it provoked; all of these attempts to shout an alternative view of what China’s heart and soul really is. Word Count: 2,100 Words QUESTION TWO For this question, I actually chose the documentary film of Arundhati Roy, which is entitled We. In this documentary, Roy actually provides an alternative view on the world according tom recent world events, in which she actually criticizes the new world order being propagated by powerful western countries, such as the United States and the European Union. This documentary, which acts likes a continuous music video, actually makes use of different clips regarding current world events, such as corporate capitalism, the war on terrorism, and the rise of powerful multinational and transnational corporations, especially on how these entities actually manipulate language, culture and ideas to solidify their view on the new world order dominated by them. For this question I would use this documentary to make me think differently, creatively, and critically on the concept of corporations. In the present world of trade liberalization, neo liberalization and the war on terrorism, when we speak of corporations, the dominant view is that they are the valuable institutions of society that actually makes all of the products that we use, the institutions that produces all that we need. They are the institutions that most people actually want to work with, given their power, their resources, and the benefit that they generate to the economy and to society as a whole. As if it works as simple as that. However, the documentary We by Roy actually opened by eyes and gave me an alternative view on how the world works, and how big corporations actually run and dominate the world. Given the amount of resources and power that the corporations and their lobbyist hold, both in economic, cultural and political terms, they actually dictate how we perceive things, and make us accept their version of world order. One important event that I would like to use to illustrate my point is the war on terrorism. According to the administrations of George Bush and Tony Blair, the war on terrorism is actually a legitimate war by “peaceful nations” in order to destroy the “evil forces” of terrorism, which aims to destroy the American/Western way of life and spread terror and fear among the world in the service of their own twisted ideology. However, this view, which was the dominant view in western society, was actually contradicted by the documentary. As portrayed in the documentary We, the real purpose of the war on terrorism, specifically on the war on Iraq, was to actually serve corporate interest, especially in their control of the oil fields of Iraq (which is so vital for large manufacturing corporations), generate the war economy of the United States and powerful countries in the European Union (for the benefit of several armament corporations in these countries),, and to destroy the economic infrastructure of Iraq to pave the way for investment of powerful corporations on the country, virtually controlling every aspect of their economy. In short, the real aim of the war on Iraq, and the war on terrorism as a whole, was to actually make it as a justification for corporations to control the economy of the world, gain foothold on the world’s most vital economic resources, generate new markets, and create a new culture and ideology wherein corporations would eventually control every aspect of society. In this case, the family of George Bush actually has interests in a major oil corporation, and that his staff also has interests in several construction, infrastructure and armaments corporations, making the war such a profitable campaign for them. In addition, corporate owned media, especially on the industrialized, first-world countries, was actually used to justify the war on terrorism as a legitimate war for world peace and security, successfully covering up all of the atrocities made by the invading troops, notwithstanding the damage on the economy and on how corporations would soon rule the economy of those countries affected by this war. Therefore, the war on terrorism is actually a war of aggression by corporations to rule the world, by creating a world order wherein through privatization and economic neo liberalization; corporations would be more powerful than states. Some of the facts that Roy presented on the documentary film We actually speaks for itself, on how corporations have been more powerful than states, governments and sovereign nations. Some of the world’s largest corporations were revealed to actually be larger than the economy of countries: in the world’s 100 largest companies (as of 1996), 51 are actually corporations and only 41 are countries. For further illustration, it was revealed that Wal-Mart corporation is actually larger than 161 countries (including some relatively rich countries such as Israel, Poland and Greece; Mitsubishi is actually larger than Indonesia, General Motors is actually larger than Denmark, and so on (Roy n.d.). This documentary film also delve into the existence if the state of Israel, wherein the continued state of war between Israel and Palestine is also crucial to the interests of corporations, specifically on oil corporations. In this case, the continued existence of Israel is vital for the continued operations of oil corporations on the Middle East, and on crushing the Arab people’s resistance against corporate control over their national resources, intervention on their governments, and demonizing their culture and religion. The worst thing that corporations are doing right now, as I have reflected upon watching We, is the fact that corporations are willing to kill people’s lives just to ensure their continued domination. They are willing to demonize the resistance of the oppressed peoples of the world as terrorist acts, and are using institutions such as the state, the media, and even popular culture to spread consumerism and mask their aim for world domination. Corporations act more powerful than countries; they influence governments according to profitable negotiations, they continually fund sources of cheap labour to increase profitability, they ruin the economies of poor countries through portfolio investments and debt servicing, and they make people accept is as the normal way how things work on this world. By watching this documentary, I have actually reflected on why there are so much war, destruction, inequality and conflict in this world, and what the part of corporations in propagating these acts is. Word Count: 1,027 Words Reference List Bingham, J 2010, The Unilever Series: Ai Weiwei, Tate Modern, viewed 16 January 2010, http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/unileverseries2010/default.shtm# Roy, A n.d., We, www.weroy.org, viewed 16 January 2010, http://www.weroy.org/index.shtml Read More