Earlier this week I was excited to see that the new Unilever Series in the Turbine Hall exhibition had been opened - 100 million handmade porcelain sunflower seeds, each one unique and made by a factory team in China - that took 2 years to make them all. (Ai Waiwai's 'Sunflower Seeds') The whole point of this amazing installation, as with the best installations in the Turbine Hall, is the audience interaction. The piece was designed with the idea that the viewer would walk over the millions of seeds, feeling them shift beneath one's feet and able to bend down and feel them in one's hands - inspecting the craftsmanship of the seeds.
But no. This stupid nanny state that we live in has declared it a possible health risk. Apparently the dust might be harmful. Oh MAN UP!! So now, the seeds have been raked far away from where anyone could get within a "dangerous" distance, and instead a small sample are in a bowl for the viewer to touch.
The Telegraph - Tate Modern Turbine Hall Health and Safety
Seriously, what is the matter with people? I was chuckling at this Telegraph article..this isn't the first time health and safety have had issues with the Turbine Hall. Several people fell into the "crack" ('Shibboleth' by Doris Salcedo) (HA) and someone was injured walking into Miroslaw Balka's 'How It Is'....I mean seriously people, if you're stupid enough to fall into a MASSIVE crack which happens to be the core focus in a vast hall then you're probably too stupid to understand the artwork and shouldn't be there in the first place!
And this in the same week that Lord Young and David Cameron called to reform 'Health and Safety' - so that (in laymen's terms) it's not so bloody pathetic!!
Bloody ridiculous. End rant.
Saturday, 16 October 2010
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