Thursday, July 25, 2013

"Circle Of Animals/Zodiac Heads"

The Chinese contemporary artist, Al Weiwei, is having a show opening this summer at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and in conjunction with the show his bronze zodiac heads have been installed in the reflecting pool in front of City Hall for the summer. You can read more about the zodiac heads and their world tour here, but in the meantime I will show a few pics of the installation over the next few days.  Each head and its base weighs 2 tons so structural engineers had to determine whether the pool could support them since it sits over a parking garage but all is well as you can see. This first head is the Ox.
at

16 comments:

  1. LowellJuly 25, 2013 at 10:03 AM

    Two tons? I think I'd park elsewhere. How would I explain to my insurance company that my car was totaled in a parking lot by an ox head? :)

    I like it, though.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ArtandArchitecture-SF.comJuly 25, 2013 at 10:10 AM

    I am a huge fan of Ai Weiwei and am looking forward to these posts. This is really gorgeous, and how phenomenal that AGO would go to the trouble of bringing them in. What a project, engineering, installation, how lucky you are to get to see this all.

    ReplyDelete
  3. TexWisGirlJuly 25, 2013 at 10:48 AM

    yay! i was hoping you'd show us each one every day! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. PerthDailyPhotoJuly 25, 2013 at 10:51 AM

    That Lowell is funny :) looking forward to seeing the Tiger Pat, that's me :)))

    ReplyDelete
  5. KarenJuly 25, 2013 at 11:36 AM

    Oh cool! And that is a beautifully composed shot!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousJuly 25, 2013 at 11:38 AM

    Wow, that's a heavy head! Does look the part though!

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownJuly 25, 2013 at 11:58 AM

    I like everything in this photo. Fantastic composition!

    ReplyDelete
  8. HalcyonJuly 25, 2013 at 12:22 PM

    This is something I definitely have to see in person this summer! Glad to see it here just in case I don't have the time. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. DebJuly 25, 2013 at 4:29 PM

    What a treat for you RedPat, love anything like this, thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Laura. MJuly 25, 2013 at 5:38 PM

    A very original take!
    Thanks Pat ... It was a great tragedy.
    A kiss.

    ReplyDelete
  11. William KendallJuly 25, 2013 at 7:00 PM

    I'd heard about these sculptures!

    ReplyDelete
  12. SharonJuly 25, 2013 at 9:16 PM

    I've heard about these sculptures. It's great that you will have them In Toronto for a while.

    ReplyDelete
  13. JackJuly 25, 2013 at 10:26 PM

    Al Weiwei is the man of the moment in art circles, I would say. He had works in Venice, too. I hate to think how much a two ton bronze costs. And all the others, too.

    ReplyDelete
  14. RandyJuly 25, 2013 at 11:55 PM

    I am a big fan too. I hope you will get to see the exhibit.

    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousJuly 28, 2013 at 11:53 AM

    Thats a cool looking building in the background!

    ReplyDelete
  16. HildaJuly 29, 2013 at 12:51 AM

    I really love your city hall, and the Chinese zodiac sculptures are a great bonus. The details of the rooster head are amazing. But two tons each?! Wow.

    ReplyDelete