Sunflower Seeds

At the behest of London's Tate Modern, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei filed their primary gallery with over 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds. Each had been handcrafted by Chinese artisans in a traditional site of porcelain production.

The porcelain seeds were spread across the floor of the Tate's Turbine Hall. Visitors could walk around but not on (as was the artist's intention) the seed-covered floor.

The artwork was wonderfully contextualized by a Tate video which emphasized Ai Weiwei's notion of "social" sculpture. Instead of reflecting the values and supposed "genius" of an individual, Sunflower Seeds was created by a group of artisans and reflects each of their individual talents brought to fruition in a collective action. Ai Weiwei has proudly stressed that no two seeds can possibly be the same.

Possible Interpretations
With its vastness, the Sunflower Seeds sculpture suggests an overwhelming volume- a reflection perhaps that China has become innumerable and vast in Western popular discourse. As a homogenous set of repeated objects, these seeds reflect a view of society: that in a nation all citizens are similar enough to be seen and imagined generally. But this opinion is contradicted by closer examination. For the seeds all retain an individuality and are unique despite their similarity to other seeds in both appearance and their means of production. When Ai Weiwei calls this piece social sculpture he is reflecting not only on its production, but its significance and its implications.