@large: ai weiwei on alcatraz

I would brave the Alcatraz crowds for this.

From For-Site Foundation:

“The misconception of totalitarianism is that freedom can be imprisoned. This is not the case. When you constrain freedom, freedom will take flight and land on a windowsill.”
— Ai Weiwei

The Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is internationally renowned both as a maker of potent and provocative art and as a passionate advocate for human rights and freedom of expression. His art and ideas find a compelling new context in this exhibition of works created specifically for Alcatraz — a 19th-century military fortress, a notorious federal penitentiary, a site of Native American heritage and protest, and now one of America’s most visited national parks.

Ai’s sculpture, sound, and mixed-media works will occupy four locations in the former prison: the New Industries Building, A Block, the Hospital, and the Dining Hall. With the exception of the Dining Hall, these spaces are usually off limits to the public, but all will be open throughout the run of this unprecedented exhibition. Revealing unexpected perspectives on Alcatraz and its layered legacy, @Large prompts visitors to consider the implications of incarceration and the possibilities of art as an act of conscience.

For Ai, these are not just artistic themes; they are facts of life. A vocal critic of the Chinese government, Ai was secretly detained by Chinese authorities for 81 days in 2011 on charges of tax evasion, and is still not permitted to leave China. As a result, Ai is currently unable to visit Alcatraz. He is developing the artwork for the exhibition from his studio in Beijing, with the help of the FOR-SITE Foundation and a team of collaborators from organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

@Large runs September 27, 2014 – April 26, 2015 at Alcatraz Island 

[photo: for-site foundation]

the week in brief + friday fun links

Crab Cove, Alameda

The week in brief:

Djuna is walking (if 6 steps count... I think that's walking). Stella, out of the blue, started drawing stick figures (heads with eyes, a nose, and mouth, arms, and legs) yesterday. Jordan is flying home today from a 5-day business trip (hurray!). Me and my friend Shayna are always in sync. My Dad finishes up his second AIDS ride in LA tomorrow (again, hurray!). It's going to be a good weekend.

A few fun links...

On happiness

The arugula in my garden is providing us with salad greens every day of the week. I'm adding Ashley's Easy Squash Salad for Summer to the menu for next week.

Chef's Night Out with State Bird Provisions

Is Your Free Time "Contaminated"?

One of my fave Instagram feeds

Nonsense Names: The Rise of Restaurant Gibberish

Why We Laugh: The fascinating science behind your giggle fits

ferry :: oakland to sf

Yesterday we took the ferry from Oakland to the Ferry Building in San Francisco. I'd never taken the ferry across the bay before. In truth, I've never even been to Alcatraz or Angel Island either. We'd been thinking about taking Stells for awhile, and in seemed like a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Although it was a little cloudy, the ferry ride was super smooth, and so fast (we were at the Ferry Building in 30 minutes). We browsed and read books at Book Passage, we wandered through Sur la Table (not the best place to take a kid), ate lunch at Plant, took a walk along the Embarcadero, threw pennies into the Vaillancourt fountain, grabbed a coffee at Blue Bottle, and then rode the Ferry back home. It was such a fun excursion. We're definitely taking the ferry again...

a very merry birthday weekend

I took a brief post-election (yay!), pre-birthday blog hiatus last week. It was a nice, much needed reprieve. My Mom arrived midweek. We went fabric shopping (I'm going to make Stella a Christmas stocking), she accompanied us to Stella's music class, she made us amazing dinners... what a treat! On Saturday night my parents took Stella so that J and I could celebrate my birthday together in the city. We booked ourselves into Hotel Vitale and ate a late dinner at Slanted Door (always a favorite). On Sunday, my parents and Stella met us for coffee and book browsing and brunch at the Ferry Building before venturing over to the California Academy of Sciences. Here's to being 34...

Happy birthday to ME! I treated myself to this Skinny laMinx bag.

Good morning San Francisco

Butterfly gazing

Fish gazing

 Did you have a good weekend?

sfmoma trip

Jim Campbell's Exploded Views at SF Moma

My friend Anne who owns Maribel (where I've bought many things including all my Lila Rice earrings) and I have been talking about taking our girls on a field trip to SFMOMA for months. Well we finally managed to make a date (Tuesdays are free admission!) and took the girls to see the Cindy Sherman exhibit this morning. After the exhibit we went upstairs to the roof deck and ate some snacks in the sunshine while Stells and G played amongst the sculptures. We had a blast.

golden gate

 
I met up with a great new friend and her son at the Marin Discovery Museum today. The museum itself was amazing for our little explorers and this was the view. Gorgeous, right?

greg & mel get married, san francisco style

Wow, now this is an awesome wedding video. I used to work with the groom Greg at Chronicle Books. He and his lady have some mad style... And I love the Beach House. Enjoy!

all fancy

We got all fancy last Saturday to go to a fabulous wedding in the city. There was a pizza truck and a Kara's cupcake truck (the banana cupcake was heaven), and dancing, and mint juleps, and a photo booth situation. It was awesome.

[top photo by my dad and Instagram, all others by: Austin Rhodes]

"ishes"

 

My mom and I took Stella to see the "ishes" at the Academy of Sciences this morning for the first time. The "ishes" were a big hit...

Happy Friday!