Elf 'n' safety strikes again
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti....html#comments
Tate Modern's vast carpet of seeds is closed by health and safety chiefs 'for being too dusty'
Quote:
It was supposed to be an artistic statement about freedom of expression. But just two days after the Tate Modern unveiled its latest installation, health and safety officials have ordered it to be closed to the public. The vast carpet of more than 100 million porcelain sunflower 'seeds', created by Chinese artist Ai WeiWei has been declared out of bounds to visitors after it was branded a danger to health. Now the public can only gaze at it from a bridge after friction from hundreds of people walking and interacting with the seeds threw up potentially damaging dust.
A Tate spokeswoman said: 'Although porcelain is very robust, the enthusiastic interaction of visitors has resulted in a greater than expected level of dust in the Turbine Hall. 'Tate has been advised that this dust could be damaging to health following repeated inhalation over a long period of time. In consequence, Tate, in consultation with the artist, has decided not to allow visitors to walk across the sculpture.' The Tate Modern's over-cautious approach is unsurprising considering they have paid out £26,990 in compensation to six visitors who said they were injured at previous installations.
The seeds, individually handcrafted by skilled artisans and covering 1,000 square metres of the London gallery's Turbine Hall, were the idea of Chinese conceptual artist Ai Weiwei. The ceramic seeds were moulded, fired at soaring temperatures, hand-painted and then fired again over the course of two years.
Nanny knows best!
Thoughts?
