Weiwei

Guy says:

20 October 2010 at 07:31

I loved the exhibition- I too appreciated the thoughtful layout of objects nearby paintings containing them, as well as the objects themselves: call me a philistine, but I had no idea Gauguin had been such a talented carpenter. I went on a Friday evening, expecting it to be extremely busy but it was by no means heaving and I didn’t have to wait too long at any point to steal a look at something that caught my attention.

However -at the risk of straying from the topic- I also went in great anticipation of the new Turbine Hall exhibition. Just before I left work for Tate, I saw an article saying it was now an off-limits exhibition, due to health concerns about dust.
I have to say, I was extremely disappointed when I did finally lay eyes upon the latest, sterilized addition to a series that has as it’s hallmark interaction and social immersion. It wasn’t the fact that you had to view the artwork from behind a tape-barrier, it was that earlier during the week you could trample all over it: knowing that this was not how the art was originally conceived to be detracted from the experience significantly. And from an artist who typically takes a pugnacious attitude to authoritative dictums. I would have gladly worn a respiratory mask if it meant I could enjoy the art as it should be enjoyed.

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Another opinion:

Letters

Sunflower Seeds at Tate Modern – health and safety gone sensible
(3)

The Guardian, Monday 18 October 2010

Article history
Your article on Tate Modern's decision to stop visitors interacting with Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds installation misses the point (Keep off the art: dust puts sunflowers out of bounds, 16 October). It consists of a series of quotes from people complaining about "health and safety gone mad". They, and you, have thoughtlessly failed to consider the people who will be most affected by the large amounts of ceramic dust that was being created as people interacted with the exhibition.

While the health and safety of the general public is important, it will be Tate Modern staff who will suffer from prolonged exposure to such dust. That is why many of them quite rightly refused to work on the exhibition, supported by their PCS union reps, and ensured that management took their views seriously.

My partner works at the gallery, and my son and I are glad that she was part of this refusal. The disappointment of a few visitors is surely a better outcome than long-term, and possibly fatal, health effects for her and other workers at the gallery. Despite the decision, people can still view the work in the same way they would almost every other piece of art – by looking at it.



Matthew Cookson

London

• Tate Modern seeds? Ceramic dust? Sounds like a good use for stockpiled swine flu masks. Kind of makes it more "art", though not sure how.